File photo: Electoral commission officers and voters discuss while votes are counted at Shagari Primary School polling station in Yola, Adamawa State on February 23, 2019 | PHOTO: AFPPermutations are already being made in the political circle as to which of the top political parties; the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) will win elections in the five states with highest number of registered voters in the February Presidential elections.
The five top states with the highest registered voters, known as swing states, are Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Rivers and Katsina:
Lagos State:
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), over seven million people have registered to vote in Lagos State in the forthcoming poll. The APC is likely to win the state due to the fact that it won the state in the last 2 general elections (2015 and 2019). PDP may get enough vote to make up for the two-third constitutional requirement. The presidential candidate of the party is also a former governor of the state.
Kano State:
Kano state is the second-highest registered voter in the 2023 poll: over five million people have registered to vote in the state based on INEC statistics. APC is likely to win the state as well because the party has been controlling the state since 2015 and secured the highest votes for President Buhari in the last two elections. Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP may get at least their two-third constitutional requirement too.
Kaduna State:
The state has over four million registered voters. Bola Tinubu of the APC may win the state as the the governor, Nasiru el-Rufai has consistently said that the ruling party has the highest chance in the February 25 presidential election.
Rivers State:
The State has one of the toughest registered voters with over 3.5 million of them. Atiku Abubakar of the PDP is likely to win the state despite the crisis rocking the party which is the rift between Governor Nyesom Wike and the party’s presidential candidate. Peter Obi of the LP, Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu may get their two-third requirements.
Katsina State:
The state is the fifth state with the highest number of registered voters in the 2023 election. Currently, more than 3.5 million people have registered to vote in the forthcoming poll.
Irrespective of the insecurity challenges in the state, the fact that President Buhari is from the state still gave the APC upper have above other political parties in the state.
