Wike: Factors behind Obi’s 2023 rise no longer exist - The Guardian Nigeria News

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the factors that contributed to Peter Obi’s strong performance in the 2023 presidential election no longer exist ahead of the 2027 poll.

Wike identified the controversy over the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress as one of the issues that contributed to Obi’s support during the 2023 election.

He made the remarks on Monday while appearing on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout.

“In 2023, there was this campaign of Christianity, Muslim-Muslim ticket. And it was serious. My own children had this support for Peter Obi,” Wike said.

The former Rivers State governor said the political circumstances had changed, arguing that the Muslim-Muslim ticket was no longer an issue.

“But now, things have changed. There is no more Muslim-Muslim ticket. It doesn’t work anymore because Tinubu has been able to kill it,” he said.

Obi contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party and finished third behind Bola Tinubu of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Wike, who was one of five PDP governors who formed the G5 before the 2023 election, also disclosed that the group had adopted a strategy that affected Atiku’s support in the South-South.

He said the governors regarded Atiku as a major threat because of the PDP’s strength in the region and agreed to allow Obi to take votes there instead.

“When you talk of South-South, I can tell you what happened. How did he (Obi) win? We, in the G5, had our strategy. We said, PDP is stronger in the South-South. And our problem would be Atiku,” Wike said.

“Therefore, instead of Atiku to take it, let it go to the Labour Party.”

Wike said he opposed Obi’s victory in Rivers, where he was governor at the time, because he believed it would send a wrong political signal.

“It was only in Rivers, I said, ‘No, Obi would not win here because if he does, it would send a wrong signal somewhere and people would not understand it.’ And we stopped it,” he said.

The G5 comprised Wike, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia.

Wike and the other governors refused to support Atiku’s 2023 presidential campaign following their dispute with the PDP leadership over the party’s presidential ticket and leadership structure.

Wike, who was appointed FCT minister by President Tinubu in 2023, has since been supporting the president’s bid for another term.

He also dismissed the prospect of Obi receiving the same level of support in 2027.

“What people need now, Obi does not have it and he would never have it. So for 2027, leave it for Tinubu. Come back in 2031,” Wike said.This version makes the headline the story, while the G5 revelation comes later as additional context rather than becoming the main angle.