Democratic Party, PDP, and his major rival, Muhammadu Buhari of the
All Progressives Congress, APC, have remarkably rewritten former
assumptions putting the contest into what has become the most
competitive election since the return of democratic rule in 1999.
It is a battle being fought on every inch of Nigerian territory.
Buhari, who in his former contests practically ignored several areas,
is going out meeting and soliciting for votes from all over the
country. Besides the strategic meeting with governors, he is also
expected to address the concerns of traders in Onitsha. President
Jonathan, on the other hand, has practically laid siege on the
Southwest with the prospect of winning over the people of the region.
A state by state detail of the battle on the ground is presented
hereunder.
By Vanguard Reporters
AnambraState
2011: Jonathan 1,145,169 Buhari 4,223
Anambra was a state Jonathan won with more than 99 per cent in 2011
with 1,145,169 votes. The president is believably headed for another
victory in the state in 2015, but only fools will believe that the
president could get the kind of victory he got four years ago.
The momentum for Buhari has been tempered in Anambra by internal
divisions within the Buhari campaign especially around the personality
of the leaders of the campaign. Senator Chris Ngige, who is leading
the campaign in the state, is not in the good books of a handful of
many other supporters.
Dr. Jonathan is also boosted by the unqualified support he is
receiving from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA government in
the state. Dr. Jonathan would win handsomely in the state, Buhari
would not get 25 per cent but the bad news for the Jonathan campaign
is that the swelled vote would not be obtained given the introduction
of the card reader.
Ebonyi
2011: Jonathan 480,592 Buhari 1,025
Jonathan got more than 99.5 per cent of the votes he got in 2011 and
was helped by the fact that Buhari practically did not have an
organisation in the state and the state opposition leader, Senator
Julius Ucha was drained of resources.
However, with the reinvention of the opposition and the internal
discord in the PDP that led to the movement of Governor Martin
Elechi's supporters to Labour Party, the APC could be tempted to smell
an opportunity. However, chances of that were as at weekend not viable
given recent efforts by the president to keep Elechi from being
impeached.
Unless Elechi decides to play a rascal, Buhari will not get 25 per
cent in Ebonyi
IMO
Dr. Jonathan got almost the entire 1,406, 289 votes in Imo State in
2011. However, the defeat of Ikedi Ohakim in the governorship election
that took place about the same time by 290,496 votes to 336,859 votes
in the same constituency has led many to believe that the presidential
election results may have been bloated. Given that less than 600,000
persons voted in the governorship election has resulted in questions
about where the voters in the presidential election came from.
With the opposition in control of the state, Imo looks the brightest
opportunity for Buhari in the Southeast, but he would yet be lucky to
smile home with 40 per cent of the votes.
Enugu
Jonathan won here with 882,144 votes to Buhari's 3753 while Ribadu
went home with 1,755 votes.
The major players in the state are Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy
president of the Senate and Governor Sullivan Chime who are both on
the surface rooting for the president. But given the wounds that the
governor received and the fact that he has no stake in the
presidential election he could decide to pay back the president with
bad coins so that both of them could retire from public life together.
Also to the advantage of Buhari is the presence of Father Ejike Mbaka,
who has openly endorsed Buhari against the president.
The prospects of Buhari getting 25 per cent in Enugu are not
impossible despite the efforts of Ekweremadu.
ABIA
Jonathan got 1,175,954 to the 3,608 votes Buhari received in 2011.
Though with the introduction of the card reader the prospects of
Jonathan getting that many votes have been seriously reduced, but
there is little doubt he would easily trounce Buhari in Abia. The
closest opposition is APGA which has interestingly adopted Jonathan as
its presidential candidate.
Read more at Vanguard:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/polls-how-jonathan-buhari-will-battle-for-votes/
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