By
Samuel Agbelusi
The presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been predicted to win the 2023 presidential election by mthe Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a group of analysts, has stated in a new report.
It stated that the chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar have been significantly reduced by the internal crisis in the party.
The report further predicted Atiku’s chances have been narrowed by the growing popularity of Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the South-East, which is traditionally the powerhouse of the PDP.
Tinubu, a former Lagos Governor, defeated several APC leaders to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate in May.
Most of his opponents stepped down for him moments before the commencement of the primary election while other aspirants including Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo went ahead to test their popularity with Tinubu but lost.
His choice of Kashim Shettima, a former Borno Governor and a fellow Muslim, as his running mate has continued to generate controversy in the APC and across the country ahead of next year’s election.
But the EIU said it does not appear that the same-faith ticket would affect the chances of Tinubu in the presidential election.
“We expect Tinubu to take the presidency, and recent developments have only reinforced our thinking. It does not appear that a Muslim-Muslim ticket will weigh significantly on Tinubu’s electoral chances,” it said.
