Connect with us

Politics

2019: Buhari’s popularity rating takes a dip –Survey

Published

on

Buhari's

Concerns that President Buhari’s popularity rating is taking a dip may just have been proved right with the outcome of a survey recently conducted by Ripples Nigeria.

In the last one and a half years since he assumed power as President on May 29, 2015, Buhari’s approval rating had witnessed different levels of bashing by a distraught population eager to reap from the promise of change sold to them by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Many have also suggested that he would not be having their support if he does decide to contest the next presidential elections in 2019, especially if things remained the way they are.

The debate of whether or not to support Buhari in 2019 was actually kicked off by his wife, Aisha who told the BBC in an interview that the way things are going, she would not go out to campaign for Buhari if he decides to throw his hat in the ring for 2019.

Her reason was that she was dissatisfied with the composition of his cabinet as presently constituted.

The first lady lamented that a good number of people appointed into positions were people who never supported, nor campaigned for Buhari during the build-up to the elections that brought him to power.

She had also explained, however, that he had yet to tell her what his intentions for the next elections are, whether he would contest or not.

Soon after, a prominent politician from the northern part of the country, where Buhari hails from, and who had been with him during his days in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Alhaji Buba Galadima, also voiced such sentiments.

According to Galadima, Buhari would be abandoned by the Nigerian electorate if he decides to seek re-election in 2019.

The presidency through a presidential spokesman, Malam Shehu Garba, quickly replied that Galadima was mistaken, and that the masses were solidly behind the president, whom they knew was fighting for them.

No sooner had he said that than another northern politician, this time a Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed said, “This is an unfortunate development and it shows the ineptitude of the government. For a man that has led us into the worst recession ever and has got nothing to show Nigerians since he assumed office to be talking of 2019, shows how shameless the government can be”.

Based on these, Ripples Nigeria went to town to find out the true standing of the President Buhari-led administration among Nigerians.

The findings, carried out via an online survey, and widely spread to ensure feedback from virtually every segment of the Nigerian population, indicated that the popularity rating of President Muhammadu Buahri which had seen him clinch the elections in 2015, has actually dropped.

Read alsoUnrelenting Buhari says he met a country where corruption was a culture

In the survey question, ‘If Buhari decides to contest in 2019 would you support him?’ 52.3 per cent of respondents answered ‘No’, while 41.5 per cent answered ‘Yes’, as 6.2 per cent were undecided.

votes

 

By inference,  even if the undecided group changes their mind to support Buhari, it will not alter the stats significantly as those who won’t support him would still be in the majority.

This is against the number of Nigerians voters who supported him in 2015 to win the elections.

Buhari in 2015 was able to garner 54 per cent of total votes cast in that election to beat his closest contestant, Goodluck Jonathan who polled 44.96 per cent of the votes cast.

The drop in the popularity rating of Buhari has been attributed to a number of factors, top of which is the nation’s economy which is acknowledged to have hit recession.

Analysts, therefore, suggest that in the event Buhari is nursing a re-election dream, either for himself or his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) then he, and by extension, his party need to sit up, to regain the confidence of the Nigerian electorate.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now

Click to comment

0 Comments

  1. Margret Dickson

    December 2, 2016 at 10:29 am

    Buhari has nothing to offer Nigerians anymore, he has destroyed all the good things he met in power, he crashed our economy, supports corruption by giving APC politicians who have in one way or the other stolen public funds soft landing, he’s encouraging terrorism by not finding solution to N’Delta militants, he’s supporting lies by not telling the whole world how the kidnapped chibok school girls were freed and other many corrupt practices Buhari has been engaging in since he became the president. Buhari is not the man for Nigeria

    • seyi jelili

      December 2, 2016 at 12:17 pm

      buhari has many things to offer Nigerians. it is you that should be patient for him. That man is doing a lot underground that we shall soon see.

      • Amarachi Okoye

        December 3, 2016 at 5:03 am

        Please what area is the underground located because i will like to see it

  2. Animashaun Ayodeji

    December 2, 2016 at 10:30 am

    We are not threatened by the percentage of those who won’t support Buhari according to Ripples Nigeria’s poll, we are more concerned and focused on rebuilding Nigeria on a solid platform that is free of corruption and lies.

    • Roland Uchendu Pele

      December 2, 2016 at 11:44 am

      The poll is a mirror of what Nigerians think about the current administration. Rebuilding Nigeria cannot happen if the government in charge isn’t a government of the people. Support is key!

  3. Johnson Amadi

    December 2, 2016 at 10:34 am

    Who will vote for evil party in 2019? Nigerians are now regretting why we all voted Buhari in 2015… APC lied and deceived us! This cannot happen in 2019, we will vote them out like we voted Jonathan out

    • Emmanuel Alayegbami

      December 2, 2016 at 11:36 am

      who told you Nigerians are regretting voting for buhari, that’s a lie. Nigerians understand the true state of the economy which has been battered since the pdp era but showcase in apc era. it is a matter of time, everything will be fixed.

  4. yanju omotodun

    December 2, 2016 at 11:34 am

    Buhari will remain popular for life. there is no doubt about that. but for second tenure, he still remain the most credible candidate except other parties produce someone who has clean sheet like buhari.

    • Amaka Okoro

      December 3, 2016 at 4:58 am

      Na so if you don’t know what to say you better keep quite and look for what to do. How can you say if buhari has clean sheet

  5. Salisu Isah

    December 5, 2016 at 9:31 am

    If U.S. polls would contradicts the outcomes of their elections, meant this polls is not far from contradicting itself, especially with the outcomes of ondo governorship election results. Baba is working, we’ll always be with him again.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

8 + 11 =