The presidential election has been won and lost with the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu emerging the winner of the election with over eight million votes. This report x- rays, his path to victory.
Lack Of Unity Among Opposition Parties
No doubt, the lack of unity among the opposition parties led to the victory of Tinubu. Going into the election, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) split into two other forces. Peter Obi left the Labour Party while Rabiu Musa Kwakwaso joined the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
According to political analysts, if Obi and Kwankwaso had remained in the PDP, the opposition would have won the election. Atiku Abubakar has 6.9 million votes, Obi has 6.1 million votes and Kwakwaso has over one million votes. A combination of the votes would have given Atiku 13 million votes more than Tinubu’s 8 million votes. The lack of cohesion among the PDP dealt a major blow to the opposition’s chances of taking over power .
G5 Governors
The G5 governors led by Governors Wike, Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State), Samuel Ortom (Benue State) and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State fell out with their presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar over the refusal of the national chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to relinquish his position to a southerner.
Their lack of support for Atiku worked in favor of Tinubu. Tinubu won Rivers, Oyo and Benue States. In the 2019 presidential elections, the PDP won the three states. Specifically, Rivers has always been a PDP state but it finished third in the presidential election this time.
Support Of Northern Govs
The massive support Tinubu got from the APC northern governors right from the party presidential primaries and campaign tilted the election in his favour.
The APC northern governors insisted on power shift to the south and stood their ground. They also sensitised their citizens on the need for power to shift to the South after President Muhammadu Buhari’s two term tenure.
In the north, where the PDP candidate who is from the region won, it was with small margins.
Popularity in the South-West
Tinubu’s popularity in the South-West region of Nigeria, where he is from, played a major role in his victory. He has a strong political base in Lagos State, and this support extended to other states in the region. His reputation as a former governor and his contributions to the development of the region over the years, also earned him the trust and confidence of voters.
