More than half of Nigerian voters disapprove of President Bola Tinubu’s performance, while a desire for change has emerged as the strongest motivation among those preparing to vote in the 2027 presidential election, a Yiaga Africa survey has found.
The national voting intentions survey, released on Wednesday, October 7, showed that 54 per cent of respondents disapproved of Tinubu’s performance, while 49 per cent identified a desire for change in leadership as their primary motivation for voting.
The findings come as Tinubu seeks re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress and faces challenges from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress and Peter Obi, flagbearer of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
The three politicians were also among the leading contenders in the 2023 presidential election.
According to Yiaga Africa, the survey involved 2,470 Nigerians across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Yiaga said 96 per cent of adult citizens surveyed had registered to vote.
The findings showed that voters were more focused on practical issues affecting their daily lives than party loyalty.
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The economy and employment, insecurity, corruption and governance emerged as some of the major issues expected to shape voters’ decisions.
Yiaga found that the desire for a change in leadership outweighed other motivations for voting.
“A desire for change in leadership (49%) is by far the leading motivation, ahead of civic duty (20%), support for a specific candidate (16%) and party loyalty (11%),” the Yiaga survey found.
The findings come against the backdrop of an election campaign that began in August but has yet to generate significant momentum among large sections of the electorate.
With a sizeable proportion of voters still undecided, the survey suggests that the candidates’ ability to address economic hardship, insecurity, corruption, employment and governance concerns could prove crucial in determining voter choices in 2027.
In an editorial published on October 1, The Economist also argued that Tinubu could retain the presidency despite public dissatisfaction, pointing to Nigeria’s worsening security situation, the impact of economic reforms and the strength of his political challengers.
The publication, however, said Tinubu could benefit from Nigeria’s “complicated electoral dynamics”.