Is Ondo election’s victory a measure of Buhari’s brand equity?
Brand analysts have established that APC’s victory in Ondo governorship election is obviously a political psychological boost for President Muhammadu Buhari and a measure of positive brand equity for him.
They said that in spite of economic hardship faced by the electorate which Buhari’s administration is searching for answers, the President’s backing of APC candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, who eventually won the election, has contributed to his (Buhari’s) brand equity.
“Supporting a candidate in the southwest and eventually the candidate wins without the support of supposedly top drivers in the region has given the President emotional and psychological political advantage,” a top PR practitioner told BusinessDay.
He said that when politicians secure political interest in an area outside their domain, it always gives them political boost and confidence.
Another brand builder based in Ikeja part of Lagos, who does not want his name mentioned, agrees that Akeredolu’s winning is a measure of Buhari’s brand equity. “After all, he supported the candidate even when some top southwest politicians were for other candidates.”
But he warned that the brand equity may not last long and may develop into what is called ‘dissonance’ in marketing, if not well managed. “People may in the mid-term reassess what happened and conclude that he (Buhari) is trying to ‘takeover’ southwest without going through the stakeholders in the land.
“A situation where Buhari’s supported-candidate won the election has contributed to his brand equity and “adds to his reputation,” another PR executive said.
In his view, John Ajayi, publisher of Marketing Edge Magazine, said going by the current economic situation in the country, one would have thought that the electorate in Ondo state would have been disenchanted to voting APC. “But they believe in certain policies of the administration such as war against corruption and they want to be part of it.”
But assessing the Ondo election and Buhari’s impact, another brand analyst based in Lagos said that Ondo election victory was predicated more on Akeredolu’s efforts rather than Buhari’s brand equity.
Akeredolu defeated two major opponents, Eyitayo Jegede of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Olusola Oke of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), to clinch victory. Before the election, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC’s flag bearer had asked John Odigie-Oyegun, national chairman of the party to tender his resignation over the manipulation of primaries that produced Akeredolu ahead of his preferred candidate, Olusegun Abraham.
But Buhari was in support of Akeredolu as he attended the latter’s rally which was boycotted by Tinubu and others in the southwest. Buhari strongly believed that the APC candidate would win the election.
In spite of NOI Poll which showed that Buhari’s job approval rating for the month of June 2016 stood at 39 percent- representing a 9-point decline when compared to the rating in May 2016 which stood at 48 percent, Buhari said that he is still as popular as he was during the 2015 presidential election.
“Yes, I was elected by an overwhelming majority of Nigerians, and I am ever grateful for the opportunity I have been given to serve. However, I don’t consider the result of the so-called survey a slip in my public rating and acceptance. I appreciate the high expectations of Nigerians, and as an administration, we are working assiduously to deliver. We came in with a mantra of Change and the zeal to give a new lease of life to governance. Our zeal has remained the same and we are always prepared to make the difference,” a publication quoted Buhari as saying.
Daniel Obi & Seyi John Salau