Buhari’s Popularity Rating Drops to 32%

A monthly poll tracking the performance of governments at all levels in Nigeria, and providing feedback from the public to their elected officials, has recorded President Muhammadu Buhari’s first major approval rating slide.

The February survey by Governance Advancement Initiative for Nigeria, GAIN, said more Nigerians for the first time since December 2015 scored Mr. Buhari low on jobs, economy, and power.

In earlier months, the poll found that majority of respondents did not blame President Buhari for Nigeria’s current economic troubles. They blamed former President Goodluck Jonathan instead.

The trend however shifted significantly in February as the nation’s economic crisis bit harder, in what the poll coordinators said suggested the president’s “honey moon” might have ended.

“The survey was administered using electronic media between February 22nd and 29th, 2016. A total of 757 complete responses were received. The survey results have a 4% margin of error at a 95% confidence level,” said Malcolm Fabiyi, one of the poll’s coordinators, who previously served as a visiting professor at the Lagos Business School.

The February result showed that Mr. Buhari’s approval rating dropped from 63.4% in January to 32.8%, and more Nigerians held the president responsible for the struggling economy for the first time.

The president scored low on jobs, economy, power, and rule of law. A huge 79 per cent of respondents rated the government’s handling of recurring clashes between herdsmen and farmers poor.

The poll also found that the Nigerian Senate maintained the lowest approval rating of all governmental institutions. The army was the highest rated national institution.

Respondents also rated Ibeh Kachikwu, the minister of state for petroleum, as Nigeria’s best minister so far.

Here are key highlights of the poll
– Buhari government scores low on jobs, economy, power
– More Nigerians hold Buhari responsible for the economy
– Overall approval for the Buhari government declines
– Nigerian Senate maintains lowest approval rating of governmental institutions
– Nigerian Army remains highest rated National Institution
– Kachikwu rated best performing minister
– Concerns about abuse of rule of law grows
– Majority hold negative view of the selection of Ali Modu Sherriff as the PDP Chairman
– 79% give poor ratings to government’s handling of Fulani Herdsmen clashes
– 72% of Nigerians do not support any political parties. (Premium Times)