Former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, has attributed Peter Obi’s victory in Lagos State during the 2023 presidential election to what he described as the high population of Igbos residing in the state.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Sheriff responded to a question about how Obi, running under a relatively unpopular party like the Labour Party, was able to pull over six million votes nationwide despite having no control of any state.
“The problem of Peter Obi is that he ran under a platform of a party, but his tribe, the Igbos, voted for him, and they would always do that,” he said.
When the interviewer pointed out that Lagos voted for Obi, Sheriff countered that it was largely due to the demographic strength of the Igbo community in the state.
“There are more Igbo people in Lagos than other tribes. I have lived in Lagos for more than all parts of my life since I left England in 1980. I live in Lagos. Lagos is occupied by the Igbos,” he stated.
When asked if Yoruba voters also supported Obi, Sheriff responded, “If they are, they are small.”
He further compared the outcome of the election in Lagos to that of Adamawa, where PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar secured a win, noting that electoral outcomes boil down to sheer numbers.
Sheriff maintained that Obi’s victory in Lagos should not be surprising given the ethnic makeup of the electorate in the state.
