In a recent interview with The Sun on Monday, March 16, 2026, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, a public affairs analyst and convener of Reset Lagos Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has stated that the number of governors controlled by a political party does not necessarily determine victory in national elections.
Speaking on the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, Pearse pointed to the performance of Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, as an example, according to him, Obi had no sitting governors supporting his party at the time, yet he was still able to win in several states across the country.
Pearse noted that Obi won in 12 states during the election, he also secured victory in the Federal Capital Territory as well as in Lagos, a state widely regarded as the political stronghold of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
He stated that the result showed that political influence at the state level does not automatically translate into votes during presidential elections, according to him, many people assume that a party with a large number of governors will naturally win in those states, however, he argued that the 2023 election proved that such assumptions are not always correct.
Pearse explained that the presence of governors often creates a public perception that a party already has an advantage before the election even begins and described this as a political display meant to convince observers that the party has strong control across the country.
”In 2023, Peter Obi, who had no governor but won 12 states. He won Abuja and also Lagos, where Tinubu is the king. You should know that having those governors doesn’t mean anything,” he said….See More
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