Former National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Borno State’s former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff has said Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, scored highest in Lagos because of the Igbo votes.
He spoke in a Monday interview with Channel TV’s Seun Okinbaloye.
Seun Okinbaloye: If you go by that, you will discover that Peter Obi does not control any State when he ran on the platform of Labour Party
Ali Modu Sheriff: The problem wiith Peter Obi is that he ran on the platform of a Party and his tribe, the Igbos voted for him and they will always do that.
Seun Okinbaloye: Lagos voted for him. He won in Lagos.
Ali Modu Sheriff: Listen, there are more Igbos in Lagos than other tribes. I lived in Lagos almost all my life, since I left England in 1980, I have lived in Lagos. Lagos is occupied by the Igbos, there are some Hausa people.
Seun Okinbaloye: So there are no Yoruba people that voted for Peter Obi in Lagos?
Ali Modu Sheriff: If there are, they are very small.
Seun Okinbaloye: And they are so much that the President was defeated and he couldn’t win his home State? Atiku won his home State, Adamawa, also Peter Obi won his own State of Anambra. We are talking about facts and figures. Your Excellency, the facts and figures supports the fact that you don’t have to own any State as a political Party to win an election in Nigeria.
Ali Modu Sheriff: Seun, but this is Nigeria. You have to have people to win elections. Election is about numbers.
Seun Okinbaloye: Is it not a good thing that there are a lot of Presidential materials in that Party (ADC) and they have the best to pick from?
Ali Modu Sheriff: Who are the best to pick from? They are about three or so that are looking for the President and see, Atiku has been Vice President of Nigeria, and so for him it’s President or nothing. Peter Obi ran under Labour, his ambition is to become the President. For your information, the information available to me, is that any moment from now Peter Obi will go back to the PDP and run as a Presidential Candidate under PDP. So, that leaves former Vice President Atiku and Amaechi. Tell me which State they control. I am asking you, you told me they are heavyweights, tell me the heavyweights and which State they control?
