Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has garnered attention for his victory in Lagos State during last Saturday’s presidential poll, a state traditionally dominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Bola Tinubu. Dele Momodu, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has provided insights into the reasons behind Obi’s success in this context. He attributes Obi’s win to the significant presence of the Igbo community in Lagos, suggesting that their numbers played a crucial role in the election outcome.
During an appearance on Channel Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, Momodu emphasized the importance of ethnic factors in the election. He noted that the Labour Party’s ability to challenge the APC was largely due to the substantial population of Igbo people in Lagos. “What transpired last Saturday, the major factor was ethnic: the Labour Party was able to take over the APC behemoth because of the preponderance of the Igbo people in Lagos. They are everywhere,” he stated.
Momodu further elaborated on the electoral dynamics by comparing the bases of the candidates. He pointed out that while Obi maintained a strong base in the East and Atiku had his support in the North-East and North-West, Bola Tinubu struggled to retain his base. “The only person who could not hold his base was Bola Tinubu, and now you are telling me that a man who could not hold his base is the champion in the North?” he questioned.
In his remarks, Momodu also expressed concern about the integrity of the electoral process. He described last Saturday as “another sad day for our country,” arguing that a flawed process cannot yield legitimate outcomes. He criticized the failure to adhere to the Electoral Act, asserting that anyone claiming victory from such a process cannot rightfully claim legitimacy. “That process gave birth to the hullabaloo that we have now,” he concluded.
Comments are closed for this story.