Former Minister of Info and Tradition, Lai Mohammed, has insisted that Labour Social gathering presidential candidate Peter Obi wouldn’t have gained the 2023 presidential election even when he had secured 10 million votes.
Mohammed defined this whereas showing on Edmund Obilo’s State Affairs Podcast, that Obi nonetheless couldn’t get “one-quarter of votes forged in 25 states,” a constitutional requirement for successful the presidency.
“Even when Obi had received 10million votes, he wouldn’t have gained. It’s because he nonetheless couldn’t get one-quarter of the votes forged in 25 states. It’s even on document that he couldn’t present brokers at about 40,000 polling models,” the ex-minister mentioned.
Talking on components that formed the 2023 election, particularly in Lagos state, Mohammed mentioned, “For the primary time within the historical past of politics in Nigeria, ethnicity and faith performed a really frontal function.”
He added that the #EndSARS protests had an influence, notably in Lagos, the place many youths “wished a pound of flesh,” which didn’t assist the APC or Bola Tinubu.
Mohammed additional emphasised the distinction between presidential elections and governorship or Nationwide Meeting contests.
“I’m of the assumption that the presidential elections are usually not as private because the governorships or nationwide assemblies. In presidential elections, a person may not be affiliated with any of the candidates. However in terms of governorships, it’s specific and peculiar as a result of the candidate lives within the state,” he mentioned.
On Tinubu’s management, Mohammed acknowledged that the president doesn’t withdraw assist from allies after electoral defeats.
“Asiwaju just isn’t the form of one who will drop his assist for you as a result of you could have misplaced the election. No, he’ll nonetheless encourage you,” he mentioned, including that Tinubu has usually been underestimated on account of his heat and charismatic character.
“He’s strategic and actually understands Nigerian politics higher than anyone you would possibly consider,” Mohammed mentioned.