As the electoral campaigns begin for the 2024 gubernatorial election in Ondo State, a state-wide opinion poll has shown that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, stands a better chance of retaining the seat on November 16, 2024.
The poll, which was conducted by Rankier All-Global Incorporation, a global ranking-focused consulting firm, places Aiyedatiwa ahead of other contenders with 72 per cent of survey respondents willing to support him.
The governor was followed by the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, Agboola Ajayi, who secured 12 per cent of the survey’s responses, while the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) candidate, Bamidele Akingboye, received five per cent and the Labour Party’s (LP) candidate had three per cent.
The ranking firm used a sample size of 8,500 respondents and a margin of error of 2.5 per cent at a 92 per cent confidence interval. The survey sample represented the age and gender demographics across Ondo State’s 18 councils, as well as the neighbouring states of Kogi and Edo.
Rankier All-Global’s report noted that voter turnout in the 2024 gubernatorial election across the state could be significantly lower than in 2020 due to the perception that the election is a ‘walkover’ for the APC and the governor, who has overcome many challenges and emerged victorious.
The report also indicated the respondents’ belief that there are no serious opposition candidates to the incumbent and that many of the opposing political parties are in talks to later adopt the incumbent as their candidate.
It also showed that 67 per cent of the respondents also recognised the strategic and important position of Ondo State to the APC, particularly being the state with the highest number of votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu when the party lost in Lagos and Osun states in the general elections last year.
However, Ondo State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Kayode Ajulo (SAN), while reacting to the report, said he won’t be moved by any speculation.
He expressed confidence in the leadership of the incumbent governor, saying: “Aiyedatiwa remains the best choice of the people.”
But a former PDP Southwest National Vice Chairman and stalwart in the state, Dr Eddy Olafeso, dismissed the opinion poll as inconsequential to an election that is about six months away.
He said that the ranking is unreliable because the body is unknown.
When contacted, Ondo State Chairman of the SDP, Segun Oyebolu, couldn’t react but the National Spokesman of the LP, Tanko Yinusa, said the opinion poll does not hold water because Nigerians are so disenchanted with the APC.
Also faulting the genuineness of the opinion poll, SDP National Secretary, Olu Agunloye, said the opinion was a mere propaganda of the ruling party to manipulate the results of the election ahead of time.
Agunloye wondered why any opinion poll at this time would give victory to either Aiyedatiwa or Ajayi, who both belong to the late Rotimi Akeredolu’s dynasty in Ondo politics but are now at a parallel platform.
He urged the electorate to discard the opinion poll result.
