Official voting records published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the February 25, 2023 presidential election reveal that Lagos, Oyo, and Osun states favored three different political parties and candidates.
Peter Obi of the Labour Party secured victory in Lagos State, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress carried Oyo State, and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party emerged victorious in Osun State.
#### How did Lagos vote?
The contest in Lagos State proved to be the tightest among the three jurisdictions. Peter Obi secured 582,454 votes, translating to 45.81 per cent, narrowly surpassing Bola Tinubu, who garnered 572,606 votes, or 45.04 per cent.
The margin between the two frontrunners stood at 9,848 votes, representing less than one percentage point. Atiku Abubakar finished distantly behind with 75,750 votes (5.96 per cent), while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party recorded 8,442 votes (0.66 per cent).
#### How did Oyo vote?
In contrast to Lagos, the electoral outcome in Oyo State was decisive. Bola Tinubu captured 449,884 votes, representing 55.58 per cent, comfortably outperforming Atiku Abubakar, who secured 182,977 votes, or 22.60 per cent.
This gap of 266,907 votes marked the most substantial victory margin across the three states. Peter Obi placed third with 99,110 votes (12.24 per cent), while Rabiu Kwankwaso obtained 4,095 votes (0.51 per cent).
#### How did Osun vote?
Osun State witnessed a fiercely contested race comparable to Lagos. Atiku Abubakar triumphed with 354,366 votes (46.88 per cent), while Bola Tinubu closely followed with 343,945 votes (45.50 per cent), establishing a difference of 10,421 votes.
Peter Obi took third place in Osun with 23,283 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso secured 713 votes, representing 0.09 per cent of the total ballots cast.
#### What do the aggregate numbers indicate?
Aggregating the figures across all three states highlights broader patterns missed by looking at individual state victories alone. Although Bola Tinubu won only Oyo State, his strong showings in securing second place in Lagos and Osun brought his cumulative total across the region to 1,366,435 votes.
Peter Obi, despite his triumph in heavily populated Lagos, accumulated 704,847 votes overall due to dropping to third position in both Oyo and Osun. Atiku Abubakar registered 613,093 votes in total, whereas Rabiu Kwankwaso maintained the fourth position across all three states with a combined 13,250 votes.
Ultimately, while Obi secured a narrow win in the most populous state of the trio, Tinubu's substantial majority in Oyo State left him well ahead of his competitors when evaluating the combined regional totals.