Lagos APC Dismisses Claims of Conspiracy in 2023 Presidential Election Loss to Peter Obi

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Findings of the Report
• Anomaly Rates in Different States
• Key Observations
• Conclusion

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has further examined the independent, data-driven report on the 2023 election.

It asserted that unequivocally, the findings provide a “sobering, factual explanation for one of the most striking paradoxes of the 2023 presidential election: Peter Obi’s almost mythical dominance in the South-East and his significant electoral failure in the rest of Nigeria.”

The spokesperson for the state branch of the party, Seye Oladejo, stated, “This is not a matter of political conjecture. It is mathematics, statistics, and electoral geography speaking clearly.”

In a signed statement, Oladejo remarked: “The study shows that Anambra had a staggering 24.9% anomaly rate, indicating that nearly one in four polling units displayed multiple indicators of fraud. Enugu followed with 16.7%, while Imo recorded 10.9%. These three states alone accounted for a disproportionate share of the 4,351 anomalous polling units identified nationwide - 3.5% of all 123,918 polling units analyzed.”

He noted that in contrast, “Lagos State, despite being the political stronghold of the eventual winner, recorded just 2.3%. Oyo State had an almost negligible anomaly rate of 0.3%.”

“In an election decided by margins of hundreds of thousands of votes, such clusters of 'perfect scores,' suspiciously round percentages, and statistically improbable vote distributions - 2,328 of which were primarily found in LP strongholds - are not insignificant. They have electoral consequences.”

“This statistical reality clarifies why Peter Obi seemed electorally invincible in his Eastern stronghold, achieving implausibly dominant margins while simultaneously facing outright rejection across the North, South-West, South-South, and large portions of the Middle Belt, where competitive political environments made such manipulation much harder to execute or hide.”

He emphasized that Obi’s popularity does not serve as a defense against irregularities.

Oladejo stated that the report rightly acknowledged that Peter Obi “enjoyed genuine popularity in the South-East. The Lagos APC does not dispute this. However, the study reveals an inconvenient yet crucial truth: hegemonic popularity is exactly the environment where subtle electoral manipulation flourishes.”

He added: “Where opposition voices are suppressed or socially ostracized, result sheets face less scrutiny. There are fewer party agents, or they are intimidated.”

“Plausible fraud” - 58% here, 65% turnout there - can slip through as defensible, even when it is fraudulent.

“In contrast, in politically diverse states such as Lagos, Oyo, Kaduna, and Plateau, the presence of multiple strong parties, vigilant agents, and active civil society naturally limits such practices.”

“Let it be clearly stated:
Peter Obi secured only 29.1% of the total votes cast nationwide. He placed third overall, behind both APC and PDP. Outside the South-East, his performance was not merely weak - it was disastrous for anyone presented as a serious national alternative.”

Oladejo noted that the report does not delegitimize Nigeria’s democracy, nor does it invalidate the 2023 election.

“What it does powerfully is restore honesty to a debate long tainted by emotion, misinformation, and selective outrage.”

The spokesperson of the state branch of the party stressed that the former Labour Party’s presidential candidate was not defeated by conspiracy in 2023.

“He was defeated by electoral arithmetic, requirements for national spread, competitive politics - and his inability to translate regional enthusiasm into national acceptance.”

“The Lagos State APC welcomes further independent audits, stronger technological safeguards, and the visible prosecution of offenders across all parties.”

“Democracy is best served not by mythology, but by truth. And the numbers, once again, do not lie,” he added.