When Nigerians head to the polls on Saturday, several elements may play a significant part in determining which gubernatorial candidates they will support.
Due to the issue surrounding the configuration of BVAS utilized during the presidential election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, delayed the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from March 11 to March 18, 2023.
Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Head of the Information and Voter Education Committee, said that the commission needs time to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, for the Presidential election on February 25, 2023.
According to the DRILLOGIST, issues such as persistent naira shortages, religion, and ethnic permutations may influence voters’ decisions in Saturday’s gubernatorial election throughout the country.
The state of Lagos
During the presidential election, the APC suffered a defeat in Lagos, the home state of President-elect Bola Tinubu. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, beat Tinubu in Lagos.
Since they were suspected of voting along ethnic lines, Igbos in Lagos have been connected to Tinubu’s defeat in the state. But, during an appearance on Arise Television, Obi dismissed such reports.
Furthermore, Nigerians have been lamenting their difficulty to obtain cash following the redesign of the naira. Before to the presidential election, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued N200, N500, and N1000 notes.
The continued scarcity of the naira might affect the chances of the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates and other incumbent governors on Saturday.
Abia
In Abia, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu might fail in his bid to ensure his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, retains power.
This might not be unconnected to the death of the party’s governorship candidate, Prof. Uche Ikonne.
Also, Ikpeazu lost his Senatorial bid and the Labour Party, LP, tsunami might see Alex Otti becoming the next governor of the state.
Kaduna
The APC might lose Kaduna State despite the efforts of Governor Nasir El-Rufai. Worthy of note is the people of Southern Kaduna, who might opt for the LP governorship candidate, Jonathan Asake.
Over the years, the people of Southern Kaduna have suffered terrorism and killings with little or no succour coming from El-Rufai’s government. Against this backdrop, Asake stands a better chance of winning.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is a no-pushover in the polls, with the party winning all three senatorial seats in the Feb. 25 polls.
Cross River
Governor Ben Ayade’s alleged inability to deliver on his electoral promises might work against APC’s chances on Saturday.
The governor, who would complete his second term, is a strong advocate for power to go to the south.
In the Cross River state PDP, long before the official bell was sounded, candidates from the central senatorial district had declared their intention to vie for the gubernatorial seat.
This produced some discomfort within the southern caucus of the party, who citing a previous agreement, averred that the next governor should indeed come from the south.
Many meetings had been held to resolve this imbroglio to no end. In the end, it has been implicitly accepted that the race is open to any aspirant, no matter the geographical base.
However, a chieftain of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chuks Ibegbu said a major factor that would decide the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election is the candidates participating in the polls and not the political parties.
Ibegbu, a former spokesman of Ohanaeze, said the youths would be the deciding factor in states like Enugu, Abia, Kaduna and Lagos.
Speaking with DRILLOGIST, he said: “The electorates have witnessed the governance narrative in Enugu, Abia, Delta, Kaduna over the years, especially the youths who bear the brunt of misgovernance; they are going to take their destiny into their hands.
“The youths are going to reclaim their states, and the electorates have been judging the performance of their governors and political actors over the past eight years, and this would inform voting patterns. One thing I know is that it’s not going to be business as usual as regards their voting pattern.
“The people are going to take their destiny into their hands; this is not about political parties but more of individuals; the people will push away those that have nothing to offer them and take their destiny into their hands.
“People will look at the incidents of those who want to lead them; APC has two states in the Southeast- Imo and Ebonyi. If APC has good candidates in the Southeast, then you can’t discountenance them. But the Labour Party is a hurricane in the Southeast and all over the country.
“Just like you can’t stop the hurricane and a tornado, it comes and uproots everything, so is the Labour Party.”
