President Bola Tinubu’s political camp has challenged former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to provide evidence for his repeated claim that he won Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.
The challenge was issued on Friday through the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, following a BBC interview in which Obi maintained that he won the election despite reportedly acknowledging that he had no evidence to support the assertion.
The council’s spokesman, Dele Alake, criticised Obi’s position, arguing that claims about the outcome of a presidential election should be supported by verifiable evidence rather than personal conviction.
Alake described Obi’s remarks as troubling and questioned why the former Anambra State governor continued to insist that he won the election despite the official result and subsequent court judgments.
In the interview cited by the APC campaign council, Obi was quoted as saying: “I won the last election. There’s no evidence, but I won the election. Everything is not based on evidence.”
The statement has renewed political debate over the February 25, 2023 presidential election, in which the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Tinubu, the candidate of the APC, the winner.
Obi, who contested under the Labour Party, challenged the result at the Presidential Election Petition Court alongside other opposition candidates. He argued that irregularities and alleged non-compliance with electoral regulations affected the outcome of the poll.
However, the tribunal dismissed his petition in September 2023, ruling that the allegations presented had not established sufficient grounds to overturn the election result. The Supreme Court subsequently upheld Tinubu’s election, bringing the principal legal challenges against his victory to an end.
The APC campaign council cited these judicial decisions in defending the legitimacy of Tinubu’s presidency, insisting that the election outcome had been settled through the country’s established legal process.
Alake argued that Obi’s continued assertion of victory contradicted the official results and court decisions. He challenged the Labour Party figure to present verifiable records to support his position.
The council also criticised what it described as Obi’s continued political attacks, maintaining that Tinubu remained focused on governing the country and pursuing his administration’s economic, educational and infrastructure programmes.
The exchange comes as political parties and prominent figures position themselves ahead of the 2027 general election. Obi has remained a significant opposition voice since the 2023 contest, drawing support from Nigerians who believe the country’s political system requires substantial reform.
The APC council also brought up a separate controversy involving Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State. It called on him to honour a reported pledge to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if liabilities were established against his administration in the state.
According to Alake, the council believes official financial records support its position on the matter and urged Obi to act in accordance with the pledge it attributed to him.
The allegation concerning Anambra State’s finances is a separate political issue from the dispute over the 2023 presidential election. Any assessment of the claim would require examination of the relevant financial records and the specific statement attributed to Obi.
The latest exchange illustrates how the disputed political narratives surrounding the 2023 election continue to influence relations between the ruling APC and opposition figures.
For Tinubu’s camp, the election result and the subsequent court judgments provide the basis for insisting that the matter has been legally resolved. For Obi and his supporters, criticism of the electoral process has remained part of a broader argument about electoral credibility and democratic accountability.
The central issue raised by the campaign council is whether Obi can substantiate his claim with evidence. However, the legal question of who was declared the winner and whether that result was upheld by the courts is distinct from the political debate over whether the election was conducted fairly.
With preparations for the next presidential election gathering momentum, further exchanges between the ruling party and opposition leaders are likely as they seek to defend their records, challenge their opponents and persuade voters ahead of 2027.
