A new poll conducted by EBDA, audited and published by BusinessDay, has revealed that Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, is currently the frontrunner in the upcoming Edo State governorship election. The survey, which included 1,179 registered voters in Edo State, revealed that 68 percent of respondents would vote for Ighodalo if the election were held today.
Trailing behind Ighodalo are his main opponents: Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 18 percent of the vote, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party, who received 14 percent.
The poll further explored voter readiness, showing that while 96.9 percent of respondents have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), only 73.1 percent indicated a willingness to vote. The reluctance among some voters was attributed to concerns such as transportation costs, security fears, and skepticism about whether their votes would count.
A significant gender disparity was also noted among potential voters, with 68 percent of those likely to vote being male, despite the near-equal gender distribution in the INEC voter register.
On the issue of zoning, the poll revealed that 61.2 percent of respondents support the rotation of political power among different regions in Edo State. However, this support has declined from previous levels, as noted by Sharon Orisakwe, Managing Director of EBDA.
Orisakwe also projected a low voter turnout, estimating that only about 20 percent of eligible voters may cast their ballots on Election Day, based on historical data from past elections in Edo State.
While Ighodalo currently leads the race, the report stated that voter sentiment could still shift before the September 21 election.
The EBDA poll, which was conducted via randomised telephone interviews, employed proportionate, stratified random sampling and has a margin of error of 3 percent, with a 95 percent confidence level, ensuring its reliability through a test-retest process in selected local government areas.
