RipplesMetrics: What Google search results are saying of Obi, Tinubu, Atiku, others ahead of 2023 polls

It is just a few hours to the 2023 general elections and the leading candidates have been identified as Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu, and Atiku Abubakar.

Rabiu Kwankwaso, who is seen as a dark horse, along with other candidates, will be seeking to translate their popularity into votes at the polls.

The 2023 polls are expected to be fiercely contested, and candidates’ support bases will be key to determining who emerges as the next president.

To understand the dynamics ahead of the election, RipplesMetrics has analyzed Google search results of residents in States for each candidate over the last year (February 2022 to February 2023).

While these searches do not indicate voting patterns for the election, the data provide insight into the candidates’ popularity demography.

Peter Obi

Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State will be running on the platform of the Labour Party.

He is hoping that his reputation as a prudent and disciplined leader during his tenure as governor will be enough to woo voters across the country.

The data obtained from Google trend searches shows that Peter Obi’s popularity has grown significantly compared to other candidates in the last year.

From a relatively unknown personality, Peter Obi’s searches on Google have jumped to become one of the most searched names on Google.

A breakdown of the data show that the top five States with searches on Peter Obi are Ebonyi State, Anambra, Enugu, Abia, and Cross River.

Bola Tinubu

Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a former governor of Lagos State and a national leader of the party.

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He is very popular among residents of Lagos and other southwestern States like Ogun, Oyo, and Osun.

His political acumen and grassroots appeal make him a leading candidate and the man to beat in the election.

Interestingly, Google trend data show that the majority of searches on Bola Tinubu’s activities and candidature came from the northern part of the country.

The top five states searching to know more about the APC flagbearer’s candidature and activities are Gombe, Sokoto, Bauchi, Zamfara, and Kebbi.

Atiku Abubakar

Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has a strong following in his home state of Adamawa, as well as in other northern states like Kano, Kaduna, and Sokoto.

His experience in government, business, and diplomacy, as well as his promise to create jobs and improve the economy, have resonated with many voters, particularly in the Muslim-dominated north.

Data from Google trends over the last year show that the States where people are most interested in searching for information about Atiku Abubakar and his activities are Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Kebbi, and Sokoto.

Rabiu Kwankwaso

Rabiu Kwankwaso, the former governor of Kano State and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, is a prominent politician in Nigeria who has been touted as the dark horse in the 2023 presidential race.

He is very popular among the residents of Kano State. Results from Google trend searches clearly show his popularity among Kano State residents.

Major searches about Rabiu Kwankwaso came from Kano, followed by the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Rivers, and Kaduna States.

What next

Without a doubt, the 2023 election will be a closely contested race. Bola Tinubu is expected to rely on the ruling party’s stronghold and massive support from APC governors, while Atiku Abubakar is counting on northern votes to tilt the election in his favor.

Peter Obi, on the other hand, is heavily reliant on the youths and the political reawakening spurred by the End SARS protest, with hopes of causing one of the greatest political upsets in t history.

Rabiu Kwankwaso will be hoping that Nigerians ignores the permutations on candidates and use his record to vote for him.

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