A member of the House of Representatives representing Yagba Federal Constituency in Kogi State, Leke Abejide, has said that the large number of votes secured by Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2023 election was largely influenced by religious and tribal sentiments.
Abejide made these comments during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Friday, where he argued that Obi’s strong performance was fueled by fears among Northern Christians ahead of the election.
“Peter Obi got those votes based on religious and tribal sentiments. People, especially Northern Christians, believed they would be in trouble if Asiwaju became president. They felt they would not have room to practise their faith, but that is not the reality today,” he stated.
According to him, events since President Bola Tinubu assumed office have shown that those fears were unfounded, insisting that the president has not governed with religious bias.
“The way the president has handled things, people now know he is not a religious bigot. He does not support extremism, whether Christian or Muslim,” he added.
Abejide’s comments come as political parties begin early manoeuvres ahead of the 2027 general elections, with discussions around possible opposition alliances gaining momentum.
However, he warned that opposition parties hoping to recreate the 2023 voting pattern may be making a mistake, noting that the political environment has changed significantly.
He cited recent remarks by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, as evidence that religious leaders now hold different views from those expressed before the last election.
Abejide also criticised Obi’s recent voter registration, questioning why the former Anambra State governor registered in Enugu State instead of his ward.
“He is supposed to go to his ward and register there. That is how it is recognised. Going to a zonal office to register as a politician is strange to me. This kind of politics is new,” he said.
On talks of a possible opposition coalition, Abejide dismissed the idea that simply combining votes from the 2023 election would automatically defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
“Anyone calculating that by adding Atiku’s votes to Obi’s votes they will beat the APC is only building castles in the air,” he said.
He also pointed to internal challenges within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), one of the parties being mentioned in coalition talks, adding that he would “never support an ADC presidential candidate.”
“The ADC leadership is currently in crisis. Until the courts decide, nobody can confidently say that the party can defeat the APC,” Abejide stated.
Despite his criticisms, he said the APC remains open to politicians willing to join the party, provided they follow due process.