An independent research and political risk consultancy firm, Hallmark International Consulting Company (HICC), has projected that Senator Andy Uba, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may win in what it described as a “hotly contested election with a margin of error of between 3-4 per cent probability ratings in Anambra State governorship election.”
According to HICC, the research and opinion poll was commissioned by a US-based ‘Power to the People Foundation’- an NGO with an interest in the promotion and sustainability of democracy in Africa and around the world.
A statement issued by the Foundation’s vice president for Africa and Middle East, Hayes Rodney, which was made available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday, said the interest of the foundation in the Anambra governorship election is non-partisan but designed to help deepen democracy in Nigeria.
Rodney said that Nigeria’s democracy has come of age and therefore needs to continually evolve strategies to strengthen it as it bends the curve. He called on INEC to ensure the election scheduled for November 6, is free, fair, and credible.
He urged INEC to adopt instant electronic transmission of results from the pooling units to a secured server as a way forward.
According to him, “To engender the people’s interest and confidence in the political process, the electoral umpire must be transparent and non-partisan.
“One way to restore the people’s interest and trust in the ballot box will be for the umpire to be transparent by also embracing technology in conducting elections and for the security agencies to also ensure lives and properties of the electorates are protected.”
Rodney said both the ‘monkey survey’ and ‘political risk index’ to forecast the Anambra election, culminated in projecting Uba’s win.
He, however, explained that the firm has no partisan interest in the outcome of the statewide survey, adding that the election would be left for the people of the state to decide.
He noted that while 18 political parties are registered to participate in the election the organisation only polled six major candidates of six political parties; Accord represented by Dr Godwin Maduka, Prof Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Valentine Ozigbo of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Obiora Okonkwo of the Zenith Labor Party (ZLP) and Senator Emmanuel Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The poll, he said further narrowed the governorship race to a contest between Prof Soludo of APGA and Senator Andy Uba of APC.
