The results of a survey conducted for Bloomberg News have shown that 72 per cent of its respondents will vote for former Anambra state governor Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) at the 2023 general elections in February.

On Wednesday, the survey from San Francisco-based Premise Data Corp placed Mr Obi in the lead. 

“Of the 92 per cent of participants who said they’ve decided how to vote, 72 per cent named Obi as their first choice. Of those who are still unsure, 45 per cent said the 61-year-old is their preferred candidate,” Bloomberg reported.

Former Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) garnered 16 per cent of decided voters and 23 per cent of those yet to make up their minds.  Ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got  nine per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.

Premise Data Corp surveyed 3,973 Nigerians from September 5-20. Respondents were selected from quotas developed by age, gender and location across the country’s six geopolitical zones. 

Eighty-eight per cent of the respondents listed the economy and jobs, corruption, and security as the most critical issues for the incoming administration to tackle.

The results came as official campaigns by political parties ahead of the 2023 polls to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari kicked off.

The elections are to be held on February 24, 2023, according to the schedule released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). As such, candidates of the various parties have 150 days to carry out their campaigns to convince Nigerians to vote in their favour.

On Wednesday, The PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) was inaugurated at the International Conference Center, Abuja. The party will commence campaign rallies across the country after the council’s strategic meeting on Thursday.

However, the Presidential Campaign Council of the APC announced the indefinite postponement of the kick-off of its campaign. 

Elections in Nigeria have always been a contest between the two dominant parties in the country. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was voted out in 2015, after ruling for 16 years, by the All Progressives Congress (APC) headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, in May, the Labour Party (LP) came into reckoning when Mr Obi emerged as its presidential candidate.  Largely youth-led, the Labour Party movement leverages social media to mobilise and garner support for Mr Obi’s presidential bid.