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Election 2019: Betting company offers odds on presidential elections

By Solomon Fowowe
17 January 2019   |   4:45 pm
What are the odds on President Muhammadu Buhari's return to the Aso Rock? Popular sports betting site, NaijaBet offered bettors the opportunity to stake on who emerges the President of Africa's most populous country. With the incumbent President Buhari seeking re-election, the betting company offered odds of 1.78 while the major opposition of the People's…

What are the odds on President Muhammadu Buhari’s return to the Aso Rock?

Popular sports betting site, NaijaBet offered bettors the opportunity to stake on who emerges the President of Africa’s most populous country.

With the incumbent President Buhari seeking re-election, the betting company offered odds of 1.78 while the major opposition of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was given an odd of 1.90 to win the election. Other popular candidates were handed heavy odds with the lesser probability of them emerging president after the election. Fela Durotoye, Kingsley Moghalu, Oby Ezekwesili were handed odds of over 100.

Odds of as high as 450.0 were offered on Mrs Eunice Atuejide, whose name appears twice in the betting tab with different odds.


As with the candidates, the Sports betting company also offered separate odds on what political party will win the presidential election.

The February 16 election, which is contested by over 50 candidates will be preceded by a debate organised by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria and Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG).

Buhari’s availability for the pre-election debate also has a special offer with the odds at 1.70 to attend and 1.45 not to attend.


Despite the president attending a town hall programme, where he answered questions from the moderator and the audience, there are major doubts about his appearance at the live debate.

There has been no concrete commitment from the president to attend the debate scheduled for January 19, although Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was available for the vice presidential debate held in December by the same organisers.

According to sources, there are fears over Buhari’s ability in a tense and high-paced debate against other candidates. There is no surprise Buhari spurned all debates in 2015 when he was contesting as a major opposition.

Recently, Buhari declined a live interview with Arise TV, preferring a pre-recorded interview.

This is not the first time that NaijaBet will offer odds on a non-sporting action. In August 2017, NaijaBet offered odds on the return of the President, who left Nigeria on a medical trip to London in May 2017.

The betting company also offered betting opportunities to punters for the Lagos Governorship elections, with APC’s Babajide Sanwo-Olu and PDP’s Jimi Agbaje offered same odds (1.80) to win the election.

While the focus is mainly on Soccer, Tennis, Basketball, the betting website has a politics tab, where elections for England, Australia, Denmark, the United States and Nigeria are listed.

 

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