Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has attributed President Bola Tinubu’s defeat in Lagos State during the 2023 presidential election to concerns over the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, rather than the popularity of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi.
Obanikoro made the claim during an interview on Mic On, a podcast hosted by Channels Television journalist Seun Okinbaloye and published online on Sunday.
According to the APC chieftain, many Lagos voters were apprehensive about the implications of having a Muslim president and vice-president, with fears that Christians could be marginalised under such an arrangement.
“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 would 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 APC’s decision to field a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2023 election sparked nationwide debate after Tinubu selected former Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
While the party defended the choice as a decision based on competence and electoral considerations, critics argued that it did not adequately represent Nigeria’s religious diversity.
In the February 25, 2023 presidential election, Tinubu suffered a major upset in Lagos, his political stronghold, losing the state to Peter Obi of the Labour Party. It was the first time Tinubu lost a presidential election in Lagos, where he had maintained significant political influence for decades.
Despite the setback in Lagos, Tinubu won the overall election and was inaugurated as Nigeria’s President on May 29, 2023.
