Lai Mohammed: Peter Obi Couldn’t Have Won 2023 Election Even With 10 Million Extra Votes

Lai Mohammed: Peter Obi Couldn’t Have Won 2023 Election Even With 10 Million Extra Votes

Former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Lai Mohammed, has stated that former Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, would not have emerged president of Nigeria in the 2023 election, even if he had secured an additional 10 million votes. Speaking on Edmund Obilo’s “State Affairs” podcast, Mohammed dismissed claims that Obi was “rigged out” of the election, emphasising that Obi neither won the election nor was the main challenger to eventual winner Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). “The 2023 presidential election was conducted in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution. Peter Obi did not meet the requirements to win, even with an additional 10 million votes,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed explained that under Nigeria’s Constitution, a presidential candidate must not only receive the highest number of votes nationwide, but also secure at least 25 per cent of votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s states. In the 2023 election, Obi reportedly achieved 25 per cent of votes in only 15 states, finishing third behind Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who met the threshold in 21 states. Tinubu, the declared winner, secured the majority of votes and the constitutional 25 per cent spread in 29 states. “Even if Obi had gained 10 million more votes, he still would not have satisfied the constitutional criteria for presidency,” Mohammed added.

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He noted that many supporters of Obi questioned the credibility of the 2023 election on social media. To counter misinformation, his team engaged international think tanks and media outlets in the US and UK to explain why Obi could not have legally won. Mohammed emphasised that public perception or social media narratives cannot override constitutional requirements.

The former minister also suggested that Obi was not the primary challenger in the election. He argued that had Obi remained aligned with Atiku Abubakar and the PDP, the opposition might have had a better chance to win, highlighting that the fragmentation of votes weakened the opposition’s prospects.

Despite these clarifications, critics of the 2023 polls continue to raise concerns over electoral transparency, logistics failures, and voter inclusivity. Supporters of Obi maintain calls for electoral reforms, stressing the need to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic processes for future elections. Mohammed’s comments reinforce the government’s position that Nigeria’s constitutional rules are the definitive measure of election outcomes.

Lai Mohammed: Peter Obi Couldn’t Have Won 2023 Election Even With 10 Million Extra Votes