2023 presidential poll not rigged, Tinubu lost Lagos – Okupe tells Peter Obi

In a statement on Thursday, Doyin Okupe, a former presidential spokesman, refuted Peter Obi’s claims that the 2023 presidential election was rigged.

Doyin Okupe questioned how Obi could suggest the election was rigged when President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost in Tinubu’s state of Lagos and in Katsina, the hometown of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The former Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign expressed his disbelief at Obi’s allegations.

Doyin Okupe said: “If Peter Obi (2023 LP presidential candidate) or the Labour Party says APC rigged elections, how come Obi was able to win in the home base of President Bola Tinubu?

“How come APC lost election in the home base of the sitting President (Muhammadu Buhari)? How come APC lost election in the home base of the secretary to that government?

“So, the accusations about rigging do not hold water; they do not hold water at all.

“The truth of the matter is that under the best of conditions, the results we got may not have been the exact results, but they will have that ratio.”

The former presidential aide accused the opposition of being unrealistic with their claim that “the presidency was stolen”.

“There’s nothing like that. No presidency was stolen. I am not saying there was no rigging.”

Tinubu had emerged winner of the election followed by Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Obi of LP came a distant third.

Following the declaration of results, Obi and his followers, the Obidient Movement, had alleged that the election was rigged.

Obi and his followers had claimed that he won the election but the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, rigged the election to favour Tinubu.