FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has revealed that the G5 governors deliberately allowed Labour Party candidate Peter Obi to win in some South-South states during the 2023 presidential election as part of a strategy to reduce the votes of PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, Wike said the G5 identified Atiku and the PDP’s strength in the South-South as their main concern.
He explained that in Edo and Cross River, the group decided that it was better for Obi to win the votes than for Atiku to secure them.
“Our problem will be Atiku. Therefore, instead of Atiku to take it, let it go to the Labour Party. That was our strategy,” Wike said.
Wike said the group believed that Obi winning those votes would not significantly help his presidential chances, while preventing Atiku from benefiting from the PDP’s traditional strength in the region.
He added that Rivers State was treated differently because the G5 believed an Obi victory there could send a different political signal.
Wike also questioned whether Obi could repeat his 2023 performance in the South-South ahead of the 2027 presidential election, saying the political circumstances have since changed.
