2023: Obi Was Not Rigged Out, 10 Million Votes Still Insufficient — Lai Mohammed

Former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Lai Mohammed, has insisted that former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was neither rigged out of the 2023 presidential election nor in a position to have emerged winner, even if he had secured 10 million votes.

Speaking on Edmund Obilo’s State Affairs podcast, Mohammed dismissed widespread claims that Obi won the election but was denied victory, stressing that the Labour Party candidate did not meet the constitutional requirements to be declared president.

According to him, the perception on social media at the time created the impression that Obi had been unfairly treated, but the official results did not support such claims.

“Even if Peter Obi had won 10 million votes, he could not have become president,” Mohammed said.

He explained that following the election, questions were raised about its legitimacy, particularly online, where Labour Party supporters maintained that their candidate was rigged out. However, he maintained that Obi neither won the poll nor satisfied the constitutional criteria for victory.

The former minister noted that he led efforts to engage international stakeholders, including think tanks in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as foreign media organisations, to clarify the outcome of the election.

Citing provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, Mohammed stated that a presidential candidate must not only secure the highest number of votes nationwide but also obtain at least 25 per cent of votes cast in no fewer than two-thirds of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said Obi finished third in the race, behind Atiku Abubakar, who came second, while Bola Tinubu recorded both the highest number of votes and the required geographical spread.

According to him, Obi secured 25 per cent of the votes in 15 states, Atiku achieved the threshold in 21 states, while Tinubu met the requirement in 29 states.

Mohammed further argued that Obi was not the ruling party’s “biggest headache” during the election, adding that the outcome might have been different if Obi had remained in the Peoples Democratic Party alongside Atiku.