By Olasunkanmi Akoni
LAGOS — The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed as “wishful thinking” the claim by the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will defeat President Bola Tinubu by a wider margin in Lagos in the 2027 election.
Lagos APC spokesman, Seye Oladejo, said this in a statement on Sunday while reacting to comments attributed to the NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, who reportedly challenged the APC to “take that to the bank” that Obi would repeat and widen his 2023 victory in the state.
Oladejo acknowledged Obi’s victory in Lagos in the 2023 presidential election but argued that the result should not be treated as a permanent political advantage.
According to him, “Peter Obi’s 2023 performance in Lagos was a legitimate electoral outcome. INEC’s figures show that he polled 582,454 votes against Bola Tinubu’s 572,606 — a difference of 9,848 votes.
“Obi won nine of Lagos’ 20 local government areas, while Tinubu won 11. Nobody is disputing the figures. But what the NDC must stop doing is converting one electoral outcome into a permanent political inheritance.
“Lagos does not belong to Peter Obi. Lagos does not belong to APC either. Lagos belongs to Lagosians. And Lagosians will make their choice when the time comes.”
The APC spokesman accused the NDC of engaging in premature celebration by predicting the outcome of an election yet to be held.
“Perhaps the NDC has discovered a new electoral technology: counting votes before they are cast.
Elections are not won by press statements, hashtags, social-media excitement or political bravado.
“They are won through credible candidates, organisation, persuasion, issues, mobilisation and, ultimately, the votes of citizens,” he said.
Oladejo also argued that Obi was no longer an untested political figure as he was perceived to be in 2023, saying that four years of public scrutiny had altered the political narrative around him.
He said some claims attributed to Obi or circulated within his political camp had subsequently been subjected to independent fact-checking, with some described as false, unsupported or misleading.
“Africa Check, for example, has recently debunked some claims attributed to Obi. The Peter Obi phenomenon has moved from the intoxicating atmosphere of campaign rallies into the much harsher territory of accountability,” Oladejo said.
He also cautioned the NDC against relying on youth mobilisation associated with the #EndSARS protests or ethnic and religious sentiments to secure victory in Lagos.
“There is no basis for assuming that the intense youth mobilisation and street politics surrounding the #EndSARS era can be mechanically converted into an electoral machine.
“Anger is not a manifesto. Protest is not governance. A hashtag is not a development plan.
“Lagos is one of the most cosmopolitan societies in Africa. Lagosians are far too sophisticated to have their votes permanently programmed along ethnic or religious lines. Those cards may generate noise. They do not automatically generate votes,” he said.
Oladejo said the 2027 election would be determined by voters and the records and contributions of political actors to Lagos, rather than political propaganda.
He asked the NDC to explain what it had contributed to the development and economic growth of the state.
“What exactly have you contributed to Lagos? What have you done to support its economic growth? What have you done to protect its interests? Lagos has a long political memory. It remembers those who have worked for its development and those who have consistently appeared more interested in denigrating Lagos,” he said.
Oladejo urged the NDC to focus on campaigning and persuading voters rather than declaring victory ahead of the election.
“Let them campaign. Let them present their candidate. Let them explain their policies. Let them persuade Lagosians.
“And let Lagosians decide. But until the ballots are cast and officially counted, the NDC’s ‘wider margin’ exists only in its imagination. The 2027 election is not a rerun of 2023,” he added.
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