Peter Obi Admits No Evidence to Prove 2023 Election Victory, Insists: ‘I Won’

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has acknowledged that he has no evidence to prove his claim that he won the 2023 presidential election, while insisting that he remains convinced he emerged victorious.

Obi made the statement during an interview with BBC Africa, where he was questioned about his longstanding claim that the 2023 presidential election was rigged.

Asked directly whether he had evidence to establish that he won the election, Obi replied, “There’s no evidence. Everything is not based on evidence.”

He, however, immediately reaffirmed his position, declaring: “I won the election and that’s where I will end.”

Obi, who was also questioned about his continued assertion that the election was rigged despite the dismissal of his legal challenges, said he remained committed to his position.

“I don’t like going back to the past. I sustain what I said,” he said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election, with Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party finishing second and Obi third. Obi and Atiku challenged the result before the Presidential Election Petition Court, but their petitions were dismissed. The Supreme Court subsequently upheld Tinubu’s victory.

Obi Defends Fuel Subsidy Position

The former Anambra State governor also defended his position on fuel subsidy, rejecting claims that he had changed his stance on the controversial policy.

“I’ve not changed. What has changed is that whenever I talk about methodology, people say, oh, it has changed,” Obi said.

He maintained that his opposition to the subsidy regime had always been linked to corruption surrounding its implementation.

“I talked about the corruption. The corruption is the problem of the subsidy,” he said.

Obi further said that, if elected president, he would tackle corruption by personally taking charge of the fight.

“If you are not stealing, if you are not involved, your wife and family are not involved, you reduce it by 50 percent,” he said.

Asked why his approach would be different from that of former President Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration also campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, Obi said the difference would be his personal involvement.

“He wasn’t in charge. The difference is this. I would be in charge,” he said.

Obi Rejects Stepping Down for Consensus Candidate

With opposition parties discussing possible cooperation ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Obi was also asked whether he would withdraw from the race if the opposition settled on another candidate.

He rejected the premise, arguing that opposition parties should instead concentrate on increasing voter participation.

“We don’t need to step down. We need to do the right thing,” Obi said.

He argued that the opposition should focus on mobilising additional voters rather than concentrating on which candidate should withdraw.

Obi’s latest comments come as the opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 election continues to evolve, with discussions around possible alliances and a consensus candidate remaining a major political issue.