How LP’s Peter Obi won presidential election in Lagos

Amidst shock and disbelief, the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, defeated the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Lagos, his home state.  

This was the greatest shocker of the moment, as the Obidients’ tsunami ensured that Tinubu, a two-term governor of the state, did not win his own backyard.  

Though Tinubu won more local governments than Obi, Obi defeated him with the majority of the votes cast. After the declaration of the results of the 20 local governments, Tinubu won in 11 while Obi won in nine.   

The local governments won by Tinubu included Agege, Apapa, Badagry, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Surulere and Mushin.  

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Obi, on the other hand, won Eti-Osa, Amuwo Odofin, Ikeja, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Alimosho, Ojo and Somolu.  

With the results declared by the State Collation Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Obi polled 582,454, while Tinubu scored 572,606, and Atiku Abubakar of PDP came in a distant third with 75,750.  

From Saturday, when the election was conducted, signs of defeat for the APC by the rampaging #Obidients’ movement were ominous. For the first time in a long while, Labour Party won one of the three units in Tinubu’s backyard.  

And by Sunday, when the collation of results started, many were shocked that Tinubu lost his Ikeja Local Government to Labour Party.  

LP scored 30,004 while APC polled 2,127 in the local government.  

And apart from Ikeja, Obi enjoyed the massive support of non-indigenes and the elite, who were said to be tired of the status quo and desirous of a new face in government.  

For instance, Ojo, Amuwo-Odofin, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Oshodi-Isholo are known to have large populations of Igbos. But other local governments have a sufficient mix of Igbo and Yoruba, while another local government like Eti-Osa, is known to be an elite-dominated environment.   

Eti-Osa is where Ikoyi, Banana Island, and several eyebrow parts of Lagos are located.   

Speaking with our correspondent after the declaration of results, the LP chairperson in Lagos, Dayo Ekong, said the margin of victory would have been much higher but for the violence and intimidation unleashed on voters in some local governments in the state.  

She said LP would not rest on its oars until those disenfranchised got justice.  

“Amidst what we went through — attacks, intimidation — but God is a God of justice. God has heard the cry of Nigerians, and that is why this victory, irrespective of how we were disenfranchised, bullied, attacked, and all manner of shenanigans, we came top.

“This victory is definitely well-deserving. However, there are areas we still need to verify because we believe that every Nigerian has a right for their votes to be counted. And those areas that we were disenfranchised, we will not rest on our oars until we get justice,” she said.  

The PDP agent at the polling unit, Capt. Tunji Shelle, said there was massive over-voting and that the result was compromised.  

He said, “The uploading was not properly done. A lot of results were not uploaded, yet the results were released. This is absurd and not acceptable.  

“We have to sit up and be sincere. We have to know that Nigeria is bigger than all of us. The BVAS is supposed to aid the electoral process. But it is like it has taken us back. I don’t accept it on behalf of my party because the outcome is compromised.”  

On his part, APC’s agent, Mr Fouad Oki, said the party would review the outcome of the election and come up with its position.  

Speaking with our correspondent on the outcome of the presidential election in Lagos, a former deputy national chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George, expressed satisfaction with the results, saying it reflected the will of the people.  

According to him, the outcome is the beginning of the drive of the people of Lagos to end the reign of Tinubu in Lagos.  

He said the APC should be prepared for defeat in the forthcoming governorship election.  

A professor of political science, Gbade Ojo, said the youths were the ones responsible for Tinubu’s loss in Lagos and not the Igbo people, as Nigerians insinuated.   

He said the youths were angry with Tinubu; with the way he handled the #EndSARS protest in 2020. This, he said, was worsened by the prolonged ASUU strike, which the youth felt Tinubu should have intervened.  

According to him, the Lagos result was an embarrassment to Tinubu, even though he was positioned to win the election.  

He said the outcome of the election was not driven by ethnicity but the youths’ resolve to take a pound of flesh from Tinubu.   

“The issue is not about ethnicity. They are accrediting success that is not due to the Igbos.  

“The result of the election in Lagos is not unconnected with the hangover of the #EndSARS protest in Lagos. Youths refused to vote for Tinubu because of their experience with the #EndSARS protest.  

“Don’t forget that during the protest, they attacked the person of Tinubu and his investment. The social media war against Tinubu continued till date.  

“Perhaps what broke the camel’s back was the prolonged ASUU strike. Students were at home for eight months, their lecturers were not paid. Youths that were at home like that, you don’t expect them to vote for a political party that brutalised them.  

“So the determination of the youths is that they wanted to take a pound of flesh, and this can be confirmed by the celebration from the youths after the election.   

“So the governorship election would not be like that because their grudge was with those connected with the federal government.   

“There was no way Igbos could have upturned the decision of the Yorubas in Lagos. Don’t forget that Igbos don’t live in the same area. They are spread all over Lagos State. Majority of them might have voted for PDP and Atiku, and majority might have voted for their kinsman  

“Again, my investigation is that the youth voted for Obi because he is the youngest contestant. I asked them, they said if Obi had not contested, they would have voted for Sowore (AAC candidate) or any political party.  

“The lesson is that winning elections is not about the performance of the government in terms of infrastructure. Public policy must wear humane face so that political parties can be recompensed with votes.  

“The new government may need to formulate policies targeted at the youths to placate them. What of Plateau, what of other states where Labour won,” he said.  

The Executive Secretary, Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER), Dr Wunmi Bewaji, however, believed otherwise, saying Tinubu lost because of what he called “dangerous” ethnic and religious politics played by some ethnic irredentists, saying it has nothing to do with the #EndSARS protest.  

He also said many Christian leaders campaigned vigorously against Tinubu and APC because of the Muslim-Muslim ticket.   

He said, “Evidence on the ground suggests a grand conspiracy between some ethnic warlords and religious bigots. That’s exactly what has happened, mainly because of their argument against the Muslim-Muslim ticket.  

“So it is a conspiracy of those people. What happened in Lagos is not political, it was religious; that was manifest. Anybody that went to the polling booths would have seen that.  

“I have been participating in elections for over 12 years, what I saw was really disturbing, and I am so afraid for the future of the country. Because, if we become polarised in this manner, it is a terrible thing for the future of the country. It is very sad that we became polarised like this.”