NIGERIA: PETER OBI LANDS SURPRISE WIN IN LAGOS

Tue 28 February 2023:

Third force candidate of Nigeria, Peter Obi has defeated Bola Tinubu of the influential ruling party to win Lagos State a,ccording to results released by the state’s collation center. T he state is a stronghold for Tinubu, who was predicted to win the state with ease, Obi’s victory is unexpected.

Former Lagos State governor Tinubu is regarded as a political godfather and kingmaker in that state.

Obi, who is 61 years old, has become more well-liked, especially among young people, many of whom identify as “Obidients.”

The two-party system that has dominated Nigerian politics since 1999 is facing an unprecedented threat from Obi’s Labour Party, making this election one of the most highly contested ones in the country since 1999.

Ninety-three million people registered to vote and 87.2 million picked up their voter’s card in the country overall, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Many voters in Lagos complained of intimidation and attempts to suppress their votes. one polling unit in Lekki, Lagos, which was attacked and the military was forced to intervene.

Political analyst Remi Adekoya said Obi’s win was “the biggest shock of Tinubu’s political career.”

“This election is reshaping Nigeria’s political landscape … the victory of Peter Obi in Lagos, the home turf of Bola Tinubu has shown that many Nigerians want a new kind of politics and that the days of godfatherism are numbered,” he added.

However, Michael Famoroti, head of intelligence at Lagos-based data company Stears, cautioned that Obi would struggle to replicate the win across the country.

“Peter Obi’s performance in Lagos is unlikely to translate across the country,” he said.

“Looking at his performance in the other south west states, the Lagos win reinforces the view that the Obidient movement is still somewhat concentrated among a higher economic class.. Elections in Nigeria are still won in rural areas and the data so far suggests that … Peter Obi still faces an uphill task to secure the required votes in critical states.”

Nigerians went to the polls on Saturday in what is Africa’s largest democratic exercise but it was beset with long delays and some voters didn’t get to vote at all as election officials failed to show up.

Yiaga Africa, a non-profit civic group says it deployed 3,836 observers across the country and was disappointed with the election process.

“There’s a sense of disappointment, quite frankly, with the way this process has gone. Clearly, we’ve not overcome and resolved, our perennially logistical challenges with elections,” Samson Itodo, Yiaga’s Executive Director told media.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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