Obi’s 2023 Election Aided by Sentiments, Says Kogi Rep

A member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, has said that the performance of the former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2023 presidential election was largely influenced by religious and tribal sentiments.

He said Obi’s performance was influenced particularly among Northern Christians who feared that their freedom of worship might be threatened under a Bola Tinubu presidency.

The lawmaker representing Yagba Federal Constituency in Kogi State stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.

Abejide, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, made the remarks following Obi’s defection to the party on Wednesday in Enugu State.

“People, especially the Northern Christians, believed that they would be in trouble if Asiwaju came in as president. They believed they would not have room to exercise their faith, but it’s not like that today,” he said.

He cautioned opposition parties against attempting to replicate the 2023 electoral dynamics, saying the political environment has changed since Tinubu assumed office.

“The way the president handled the whole thing, they know he’s not a religious bigot, and he does not believe in extremism of any religion, whether Christian or Muslim,” he added.

The lawmaker also criticised opposition politicians over registration practices, pointing specifically to Obi’s ADC registration in Enugu State rather than his home base in Anambra.

“He’s supposed to go to his ward and register from his ward. Then it can be recognised. If you go to the zonal office and you register as a politician, this kind of politics is a new system to me,” he said.

On speculations that opposition alliances could unseat the APC in 2027 by merging their 2023 vote totals, Abejide dismissed the idea as unrealistic.

“If anybody is capitalising on what happened in 2023 and calculating that if they put Atiku’s vote and put Obi’s votes, they’re going to beat APC, it’s just like the person is building castles in the air,” he stated.

He further noted that the ADC itself is currently dealing with internal leadership disputes.

“The leadership of ADC today is in crisis, and until the court decides, nobody can say this is going to defeat the APC,” he said.

Despite his criticisms, Abejide said the party remains open to new entrants, but urged that they follow proper procedures.

“They are welcome, and we’ll see what the outcome is going to be, but if you want to join, join properly,” he added.