A former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has revealed why President Bola Tinubu was defeated in Lagos State during the 2023 presidential election.
Obanikoro revealed that the defeat was caused by concerns over the All Progressives Congress’ Muslim-Muslim ticket, not Labour Party candidate Peter Obi.
He made the claim during an interview on Mic On, a podcast hosted by Channels Television journalist Seun Okinbaloye, which was posted online on Sunday.
According to him, many voters were apprehensive about what a Muslim-Muslim presidency would mean for Christians, a perception he said ultimately worked against Tinubu in Lagos.
“Let me tell you, what defeated us in Lagos was the Muslim-Muslim ticket, not Peter Obi. People were afraid because they didn’t know what Tinubu’s presidency will look like.
“People thought it was a situation where the Christian in Nigeria would be relegated, and that has been defeated because Tinubu is a Muslim, but he is not a religious bigot that will carry one religion over another.
“His wife is a pastor. His son, Seyi is a Christian. He was born a Muslim. He became a Christian. Most of the people in his cabinet are Christians,” he said.
The Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the APC ahead of the 2023 presidential election generated widespread debate after Tinubu picked former Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, also a Muslim, as his running mate.
While the APC defended the decision as being based on competence and electoral strategy, critics argued it failed to reflect Nigeria’s religious diversity.
In the February 25, 2023 presidential election, Tinubu suffered a surprise defeat in Lagos, his political stronghold, losing to Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, marking the first time the former Lagos governor lost a presidential election in the state widely regarded as his political base.
Despite the Lagos result, Tinubu went on to win the presidential election nationwide and was sworn in as Nigeria’s President on May 29, 2023.
