With 282 days to go for the eagerly awaited general election which many political pundits suggest will be a turning point, political realignments have started taking shape. The realignments have seen over ten political parties merge under jubilee party while on the other hand, the opposition political parties are crafting a national super alliance reminiscent of the 2002 national rainbow coalition which swept kanu party out of power. But what are the likely factors that will shape and influence the 2017 general election outcome?