Wike G5 strategy targeted Atiku’s 2023 votes, the FCT minister says, explaining why the group backed Peter Obi in parts of the South-South
Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has defended the political strategy adopted by the former PDP G5 governors during the 2023 presidential election, saying the group encouraged support for Peter Obi in parts of the South-South to reduce Atiku Abubakar’s votes rather than manipulate election results.
Also read: Wike: Atiku Was More of a Factor Than Obi in 2023 Election
Wike made the clarification in Abuja on Wednesday while responding to renewed criticism over comments he made during a TVC interview about the G5’s role in the 2023 election.
Several commentators and opposition figures interpreted his earlier remarks as an admission that the election had been manipulated in favour of President Bola Tinubu.
Wike rejected that interpretation, describing the allegation as a narrative driven largely by social media.
He argued that political strategy and electoral manipulation were two different matters.
“People who don’t understand, how can they say I rigged the election? How would I have done it? So, I just took the result sheets, wrote it, and gave it to INEC?” Wike asked.
The minister said the G5’s calculation was rooted in the political strength of the PDP across the South-South, where the party had traditionally enjoyed considerable support.
According to Wike, the group viewed Atiku, the PDP’s presidential candidate, as the more significant political threat in the region.
The strategy was therefore to allow Obi, the Labour Party candidate, to attract votes in some areas rather than allow those votes to remain within the PDP’s traditional base and strengthen Atiku.
“We felt that Atiku was more of a factor in that election than Obi. So our strategy was that, make sure that you vote for Obi to win in order to deny Atiku the votes,” Wike said.
Wike had previously explained that the approach was used in Edo and Cross River.
In his account, the G5 governors believed that allowing Obi to win those states would prevent Atiku from taking advantage of the PDP’s strength in the region.
Rivers State, however, was treated differently.
Wike said he opposed allowing Obi to win Rivers because of what he described as the wider political implications of such an outcome.
“It was only Rivers I said no; we have a problem here in Rivers. Obi will not win here because if he wins, it sends a signal somewhere they may not understand it,” Wike said.
The former Rivers governor also rejected suggestions that the G5’s strategy amounted to changing figures at polling units or altering result sheets.
Wike pointed to the scale of Nigeria’s electoral system, arguing that the results were generated across about 176,000 polling units and could not simply be determined by an individual.
“I’ve always said social media does not win elections,” Wike said, warning against drawing nationwide conclusions from limited polling-unit results or online trends.
He also questioned whether claims that the 2023 presidential election result in Rivers was manipulated had been established during the subsequent legal proceedings.
“You remember that when they went to the tribunal, did anybody tender any result from Rivers to say, ‘Look, this is the result; we won’?” Wike asked.
The comments have renewed attention on the complicated political calculations surrounding the 2023 presidential election, particularly the decision of the G5 governors to oppose Atiku’s candidacy despite their membership of the PDP.
The G5 consisted of Wike and former governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu.
The group had demanded that the PDP’s national leadership address its concerns before supporting Atiku’s presidential campaign.
The political dispute contributed to a fractured PDP campaign and became one of the defining internal conflicts of the 2023 election.
Atiku ultimately finished second nationally behind Tinubu, while Obi placed third after making substantial gains, particularly in parts of the South-East and South-South.
Wike has now presented the G5’s actions as a calculated attempt to weaken Atiku’s position rather than an effort to determine the eventual winner of the presidential election.
“Our major opponent was Atiku Abubakar and if we didn’t do that, something would have happened,” Wike said. “We had our strategy, and that strategy worked well for us.”
His explanation has nevertheless attracted further political reaction.
Human rights activist Aisha Yesufu criticised the account on Wednesday, arguing that the G5’s political performance should also be considered when assessing its influence.
The renewed debate comes as Nigerian political actors increasingly position themselves ahead of the 2027 general election.
Also read: Wike: Atiku Was More of a Factor Than Obi in 2023 Election
Wike’s latest comments therefore place the G5’s 2023 calculations back in the spotlight, while leaving the competing interpretations of the election and its aftermath to the political and judicial record.
