Even With 10m Votes, Obi Would Still Lose” — Lai Mohammed

According to Ireporter Online, former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has stated that the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, had no realistic chance of emerging victorious, even if he had secured as many as 10 million votes.

Mohammed explained that Obi failed to meet the constitutional requirement of obtaining at least one-quarter of the total votes cast in a minimum of 25 states, a condition he described as fundamental to winning the presidency. He noted that the former Anambra State governor was unable to satisfy this threshold, regardless of the total number of votes recorded in his favour.

The former minister further disclosed that Obi’s campaign structure was weak in several areas, alleging that the Labour Party candidate could not deploy agents to approximately 40,000 polling units nationwide, a shortcoming he said affected effective participation in the electoral process.

Reflecting on the overall conduct of the 2023 elections, Mohammed observed that ethnicity and religion played an unusually prominent role, particularly in Lagos State. He described the trend as unprecedented in Nigeria’s political history, noting that these factors significantly influenced voting behaviour.

He also linked the outcome of the polls to the lingering impact of the #EndSARS protests, suggesting that anger and resentment among sections of the youth population shaped electoral decisions, especially in Lagos, a development he said did not favour the All Progressives Congress or its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

Mohammed distinguished presidential elections from governorship and legislative contests, arguing that presidential polls are generally less emotionally driven. According to him, governorship elections tend to be more personal, as candidates are closely connected to their states and local political dynamics.

Speaking on President Bola Tinubu’s leadership style, the former minister described him as loyal and supportive, even toward political allies who suffer electoral losses. He said Tinubu is known for encouraging his associates regardless of setbacks.

Mohammed added that Tinubu’s friendly and approachable nature often leads to an underestimation of his political strength, stressing that the president possesses deep strategic insight and a strong understanding of Nigeria’s political landscape.