A member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, has claimed that Peter Obi’s strong showing in the 2023 presidential election was primarily driven by religious anxieties among Northern Christians, who feared restrictions on their religious freedoms under a Bola Tinubu presidency.
“People, especially the Northern Christians, believed that they would be in trouble if Asiwaju came in as president. They believed they would not have room to exercise their faith, but it’s not like that today,” Abejide said in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.Live TV streaming
The comments by the lawmaker, who represents Yagba Federal Constituency in Kogi State, come as Obi defected to his party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday.
He also warned that opposition parties attempting to replicate the 2023 electoral dynamics are building their strategies on a faulty foundation, as the political landscape has fundamentally shifted since President Tinubu assumed office.
“The way the president handled the whole thing, they know he’s not a religious bigot, and he does not believe in extremism of any religion, whether Christian or Muslim,” he added.
He also criticised recent registration activities by opposition figures, specifically referencing Obi’s ADC registration in Enugu State rather than his home constituency in Anambra State.
“He’s supposed to go to his ward and register from his ward. Then it can be recognised. If you go to the zonal office and you register as a politician, this kind of politics is a new system to me.”
Addressing speculation about potential opposition alliances, the lawmaker dismissed calculations suggesting that combining votes from the 2023 election would guarantee victory over the APC in 2027.
“If anybody is capitalising on what happened in 2023 and calculating that if they put Atiku’s vote and put Obi’s votes, they’re going to beat APC, it’s just like the person is building castles in the air,” he stated.
Abejide also highlighted ongoing challenges within the ADC, the party adopted by the opposition coalition.
“The leadership of ADC today is in crisis, and until the court decides, nobody can say this is going to defeat the APC,” he said.
Despite the critique, he extended a welcome to politicians considering joining the ADC, though with clear conditions attached.
“They are welcome, and we’ll see what the outcome is going to be, but if you want to join, join properly.”
