Wike: How G-5 Undermined Atiku’s 2023 Bid

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has revealed how the G-5 governors worked against the presidential bid of Peoples Democratic Party candidate Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 election.

Wike made the disclosure on Monday during an interview with TVC News, where he said the group identified the PDP’s strength in the South-South as a potential advantage for Atiku and adopted a strategy to prevent him from benefiting from it.

He said the G-5 governors decided to allow Labour Party candidate Peter Obi to win some states, including Edo and Cross River.

He said, “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.”

Wike, however, said the group deliberately prevented Obi from winning Rivers State because of the political implications of such an outcome.

“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 five PDP governors who opposed Atiku’s candidacy ahead of the 2023 presidential election. The group comprised Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Wike of Rivers and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu.

Wike said the strategy in Edo and Cross River was based on the belief that a PDP loss in the South-South would disadvantage Atiku, while an Obi victory would not significantly improve the Labour Party candidate’s chances nationally.

“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.

The FCT minister subsequently questioned whether Obi could reproduce his 2023 performance in the region in the 2027 election.

“In Cross River now, how will Obi win? In Akwa Ibom, how will he win? In Delta, how will he win?” Wike asked.

He also argued that some of the political circumstances surrounding the 2023 election had changed, particularly the controversy over the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.

He said, “Under 2023 there was this campaign of Christianity, there was this campaign of Muslim-Muslim ticket. There was, there was, seriously, seriously.”

According to Wike, the controversy no longer had the same influence.

He said, “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.”

Wike also claimed that the level of support Obi enjoyed in the South-East during the 2023 election had changed.

“What people, what we know now, Obi does not have it, and he won’t have it,” he said.

He then advised Obi to focus on the 2031 election instead of the 2027 contest.

“For this election, leave it for Tinubu. Prepare for 2031. And that’s the truth of the matter,” Wike said.