Jonathan gets nod of 81 % Nigerian voters – RMS survey

About 81 per cent of eligible voters in Nigeria have given nod to President Goodluck Jonathan’s quest to contest in next year’s presidential elections . The voters cited his respect for the rule of law, confidence and trust in the composition of his cabinet to deliver set targets, and an overall faith in his ability to turn the fortunes of the economy around for the better, as some of the core reasons for lending their support to him

According to an RMS opinion poll released on Wednesday, 19 per cent of respondents drawn from a poll of eligible, however, faulted the decision of the incumbent president to contest in the 2011 presidential race, insisting that he should respect the existing zoning arrangement of his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and should give other candidates a chance. The bulk of those who disagreed with the president were non-members of the PDP, the survey by Research and Marketing Services (RMS) noted.

Chief Executive Officer of RMS, Mr. Ademola Tejumola while commenting on the findings of the survey explained that unlike previous elections, where the electorate was not eager to cast their votes, 83 per cent of Nigerians said they would exercise their constitutional rights by voting during the upcoming elections.

“The survey revealed that 81 per cent of Nigerian’s eligible voters are of the opinion that President Jonathan should contest in the forth-coming elections next year; majority of Nigerians (90 per cent) have confidence in Jonathan’s ministerial cabinet with only 10 per cent of respondents saying they are not convinced the present cabinet will deliver on democratic dividends and good governance,” the RMS survey stated.

“Seventy per cent believe there is respect for the rule of law, while 30 per cent differ; 54 per cent believe the Federal Government is responsive to their needs, while 46 per cent perceive the government to be unresponsive; overall 60 per cent said Jonathan’s performance has been satisfactory, 26 per cent said he did not raise the bar compared to prior government, while the rest of respondents are of the opinion that his performance is unsatisfactory,” the survey further revealed.