FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has revealed how the five aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party governors, known as the G-5, allegedly strategised against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the 2023 election.
Wike made the disclosure on Monday during an interview on TVC News’ Journalists’ Hangout, where he said the group deliberately allowed Labour Party candidate Peter Obi to win in some South-South states to prevent Atiku from benefiting from the PDP’s strength in the region.
According to Wike, the G-5 identified Edo and Cross River as states where the PDP had considerable strength and concluded that allowing Obi to win would disadvantage Atiku.
“How did he win? When the G-5, we sat, we had our strategy. We said in Edo, PDP is stronger in the South-South. Our problem will be Atiku. Therefore, instead of Atiku to take it, let it go to the Labour Party. That was our strategy. Cross River, the same thing. That’s what we did,” he said.
He, however, said Rivers State was treated differently because the governors believed an Obi victory there could have wider political implications.
“It was only Rivers that said, ‘No, we have a problem here in Rivers. Obi will not win here because if he wins, he sends a signal somewhere, people may not understand it.’ And we stopped…we stopped it,” Wike said.
The G-5 comprised Wike, then governor of Rivers State; Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; Samuel Ortom of Benue State; Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
The governors had opposed Atiku’s candidacy ahead of the 2023 presidential election, arguing that the PDP’s presidential ticket should have been zoned to the South after eight years of a northern presidency under Muhammadu Buhari.
Wike said the strategy was based on the calculation that denying the PDP victories in parts of the South-South would weaken Atiku, while an Obi victory in those states would not provide the Labour Party candidate with enough advantage to alter the overall presidential contest.
“But we agreed that, look, Atiku is a problem, PDP is strong in the South-South. So if PDP does not win in South-South, it’s a disadvantage to Atiku. Obi winning will not help Obi anywhere. We did that. We did that,” he said.
Speaking ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Wike questioned whether Obi could reproduce his 2023 performance in the South-South, asking how the former Anambra State governor would win states such as Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Delta under the current political circumstances.
“In Cross River now, how will Obi win? In Akwa Ibom, how will he win? In Delta, how will he win?” Wike asked.
The FCT minister also argued that some of the political issues that shaped the 2023 election had changed, particularly the controversy surrounding the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
“Under 2023 there was this campaign of Christianity, there was this campaign of Muslim-Muslim ticket. There was, there was, seriously, seriously,” he said.
Wike further claimed that the issue no longer carried the same political weight.
“It’s no longer there now. It’s no longer there. No more like Muslim-Muslim ticket. Well, it doesn’t work. Tinubu has been able to kill that,” he said.
He also claimed that Obi no longer enjoys the level of support he had in the South-East during the 2023 election.
“What people, what we know now, Obi does not have it, and he won’t have it,” Wike said.
Wike subsequently advised Obi to look beyond the 2027 election and prepare for the 2031 contest.
“For this election, leave it for Tinubu. Prepare for 2031. And that’s the truth of the matter,” he said.
