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Nigerians are reacting humorously after the Labour Party candidate in the upcoming Edo State Governorship election, barrister Olumide Akpata, said online polls by media personalities showed that he is on course to win the contest.
While appearing on Channels Television's Politics Today on Friday, August 30, 2024, Akpata spoke about his chances in the September 21 governorship election in the South-South state.
The Labour Party candidate first debunked the insinuations that he was in the race as a decoy for the Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki in case the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo gets disqualified from the contest.
Akpata, a former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, also denied the speculations that Obaseki has been funding his campaigns, insisting they don't share the same political ideology.
READ ALSO: Edo 2024: Audit report released as Ighodalo tops opinion poll
Akpata says Tunde Ednut, Rufai's polls show he will win
A recent pre-election poll conducted by the Africa Polling Institute (API) put Ighodalo as the frontrunner in the election, followed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo trailing in second with Akpata coming a distant third.
The survey, conducted between August 12 and 16, 2024, revealed that the PDP flag-bearer enjoyed the support of 43% of likely voters.
His closest rival Okpebholo had 20%, while the Labour Party torchbearer was further behind, securing just a 9% share of the votes.
When this fact was presented to him by the show host, Akpata rejected the result, claiming another poll conducted online by journalist Rufai Oseni and blogger Tunde Ednut showed that he was coasting home to victory.
"I can show you the polls on Tunde Ednut, a social media influencer who has a lot of following, I won. It was a poll that was conducted for the entire day.
"Just a couple of days ago, Rufai Oseni, who is of Arise Television just conducted his poll online, I got 71%," the former NBA President said.
Nigerians react on social
Meanwhile, Nigerians have been reacting to the clip from the interview shared on the X account of Jubril Gawat, a Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.
Below are some of the reactions;
- Watch out for the first governor to be sworn in for wining on line - @Galacticus_O
- This one is relying on online poll. 99% are not even voters in Edo state. He will finish 3rd and start crying rigging to court - @@bummiearo
- This people will never learn. So na the evidence wey e go bring come court be that when he loses. He will say Mi Lord Tundeednut and Rufai Oseni said I won. Awon oniyeye ale amoda - @enilowo
- Poll by Tunde Ednut? Okay o I’m sure majority of the people that voted are not from Edo - @NaneTouch
- A joke taken too far - @EmmyAfrika
Alright. Make we just bookmark it. We will surely come back to it. - @layusmen