Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said that former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, stood no chance of winning the 2023 presidential election, even if he had secured 10 million votes.
Speaking on Edmund Obilo’s State Affairs Podcast, Mohammed argued that Obi failed to meet the constitutional threshold of securing one-quarter of votes in at least 25 states, a key requirement to clinch the presidency.
Mohammed said, “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.”
Reflecting on the broader dynamics of the 2023 polls, particularly in Lagos State, the ex-minister said ethnicity and religion played a significant role in shaping voting patterns.
“For the first time in the history of politics in Nigeria, ethnicity and religion played a very frontal role,” he noted.
He also referenced the #EndSARS protests, which he said fueled resentment among youths, particularly in Lagos.
“Many youths wanted a pound of flesh. That did not help the APC or Bola Tinubu,” he added.
Mohammed also differentiated between various levels of elections in Nigeria, saying presidential contests are often less emotionally charged than governorship or legislative elections.
“I am of the belief that the presidential elections are not as personal as the governorships or national assemblies.
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 explained.
Commenting on President Bola Tinubu’s leadership style, Mohammed described him as loyal and supportive, even in the face of electoral setbacks.
“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.
He added that Tinubu’s affable nature often causes people to underestimate his political acumen.
“He is strategic and really understands Nigerian politics better than anybody you might think of,” Mohammed said.