Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has insisted that Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would not have won the 2023 presidential election even if he had secured 10 million votes.
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Mohammed explained this while appearing on Edmund Obilo’s State Affairs podcast, saying that Obi still could not get “one-quarter of the votes cast in 25 states,” a constitutional requirement for winning the presidency.
“Even if Obi had got 10 million votes, he wouldn’t have won. This is because he still could not get one-quarter of the votes cast in 25 states. It is even on record that he could not provide agents at about 40,000 polling units,” the former minister said.
Speaking on factors that shaped the 2023 election, especially in Lagos State, Mohammed said, “For the first time in the history of politics in Nigeria, ethnicity and religion played a very frontal role.”
He added that the #EndSARS protests had an impact, particularly in Lagos, where many youths “wanted a pound of flesh,” which did not help the APC or Bola Tinubu.
Mohammed further emphasised the difference between presidential elections and governorship or National Assembly contests.
“I am of the belief that presidential elections are not as personal as governorship or National Assembly elections. In presidential elections, a man might not be affiliated with any of the candidates. But when it comes to governorships, it is particular and peculiar because the candidate lives in the state,” he said.
On Tinubu’s leadership, Mohammed stated that the president does not withdraw support from allies after electoral defeats.
“Asiwaju is not the kind of person who will drop his support for you because you have lost the election. No, he will still encourage you,” he said, adding that Tinubu has often been underestimated due to his warm and charismatic personality.
“He is strategic and really understands Nigerian politics better than anybody you might think of,” Mohammed said.
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