As Nigerians head to their various polling centers today to
elect a new president and their representatives in the
national assembly, analysts will focus on mainly the South
West region of the country, which is expected to swing
votes in favour of either candidates depending on the
contestant with the higher figure in the region.
The South West region of Nigeria is home to the
Yoruba tribe although it is also well populated by
Nigerians from other regions as the Yorubas are very
accommodating group of people. They Yorubas are
known for their very high political consciousness and
they have been very active in Nigeria’s political
process from time immemorial.
Today’s election will literally be determined by the
region as Nigeria’s predictable voting pattern
suggests that the regions will vote along ethnic or
religious lines as the case maybe.
While Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) is expected to sweep
majority of the votes in the North-East and North-
West, incumbent, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is expected
to get majority votes in the South-South and South-
East region. Both candidates are expected to have a
fair share of the votes in the North-Central region
also known as “Middle Belt”.
But the South-West is the real battle ground for both
candidates. It is widely expected that whoever wins
the majority votes in the region will have the upper
hand in today’s polls. President Jonathan’s frequent
visits to the region during the elections date extension
period suggests the president and his team are aware
of the strategic role the region plays in determining
the result of today’s election.
It is important to note that Jonathan’s last minute
efforts to gain ground in the region paid off. He got
the endorsement of key decision leaders like the
factional president of the Oodua Peoples Congress
(OPC), Chief Gani Adams, some influential traditional
rulers, showbiz personalities, youth and women
groups e.t.c
But whether these endorsements will have an impact
on the election results remain to be seen.
The APC
candidate has also perfected his plans as far as the
region is concerned. Buhari’s foot soldiers in the
region are political heavy weights who have a grasp
of the Yoruba’s political orientation.
It is expected that the two leading political parties will
make last minute efforts to woo so many citizens even
till this morning in order convince them to vote for
their candidates.
One can only hope that the parties adhere to the
rules of electoral engagement in passing their
messages across to the citizens.
Meanwhile, accreditation has already commenced this
morning in various polling units
across the nation as Nigerians file out in their
numbers to cast their votes later today.
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