Rufai Oseni asks why Nyesom Wike did not defeat Atiku Abubakar in the 2022 PDP primary if he is as popular as he claims
On Wednesday, 16 September 2026, Arise Television Morning Show anchor Rufai Oseni questioned the political popularity of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, asking why Nyesom Wike could not defeat former vice-president Atiku Abubakar in the 2022 Peoples Democratic Party presidential primary.
Also read: Obi Says Wike Looked Happier When They Worked Together
Rufai Oseni was responding to Nyesom Wike’s claims about his influence and his ability to deliver votes for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Nyesom Wike remains a member of the PDP while serving in President Bola Tinubu’s government.
All Progressives Congress governors have lately voiced concern about Nyesom Wike ahead of that election.
Rufai Oseni also questioned Nyesom Wike’s 2019 Rivers State governorship win, including a delay in announcing the result. “When politicians beat their chest that they delivered somebody, it’s a total fallacy,” Rufai Oseni said. “Like I have said before on this show, Minister Wike, let’s x-ray your 2019 governorship victory. Why was the counting of that election stopped midway? At a point, there was a certain person up there, and the counting of the results stopped, and it took about 22 days before INEC announced the victory in favour of Mr Wike.”
He cited a BBC report on the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State. According to Rufai Oseni, that report said official figures gave President Bola Tinubu a majority in the state, while the BBC’s tally suggested Peter Obi of the Labour Party received more votes by a wide margin.
Rufai Oseni asked what politicians mean by “structure”. “So, what is this strange structure that they say they have that they won based on? What is it? Is it the structure that we can turn INEC around? Is it because INEC is not as independent as an institution as it should be? Yes, we can say INEC’s official result, but we’ve also seen shenanigans in the official result.”
Also read: Obi Says Wike Looked Happier When They Worked Together
He said repeated talk of “delivering” an election should not be taken as proof of popular support. “If Wike was that popular, why didn’t he win the primaries in the PDP and beat Atiku Abubakar? He didn’t beat Atiku Abubakar in the PDP primaries, and we keep hearing the conversation here. Politicians keep acting as God.”
