Peter Obi Won Lagos Because of Igbo Population – Former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff

BY Rachel Akper
July 28, 2025
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Former Borno State Governor and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has attributed Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s 2023 victory in Lagos to what he described as the dominance of the Igbo population in the state.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s One-on-One, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye as part of Politics Today, Sheriff claimed that ethnic demographics not political ideology or structure explained Obi’s win in Nigeria’s commercial hub.

“Peter Obi won in Lagos because there are more Igbos in Lagos than any other tribe,” Sheriff said. “I have lived in Lagos since 1980 after leaving England. Lagos is largely occupied by the Igbos.”

Sheriff further argued that Obi, who ran under the Labour Party, had no strong political control over any state but benefitted from ethnic support during the elections.

“He doesn’t control any state,” Sheriff stated. “He ran on the platform of a party, and his tribe the Igbosvoted for him. They will always do that.”

When challenged by the host about whether Yoruba voters supported Obi in Lagos, Sheriff claimed the number was negligible.

“If they [Yoruba] did, they were very few,” he added. “The numbers were so overwhelming that the President could not even win his own state.”

Sheriff emphasized that winning elections in Nigeria is about numbers and population, regardless of party dominance at the state level.

“Elections are about numbers,” he insisted. “You have to have people to win an election.”

Peter Obi shocked many observers during the 2023 general election when he secured more votes than President Bola Tinubu in Lagos, a state historically aligned with the APC and Tinubu’s political base. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reported Obi polled over 582,000 votes, edging out Tinubu who garnered around 572,000.

As of the time of this report, Peter Obi and the Labour Party have not officially responded to Sheriff’s remarks.