Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has revealed how he and his political allies worked to frustrate the presidential ambition of Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the 2023 election.
Wike said the strategy was aimed at weakening Atiku’s chances by denying him crucial support from key PDP structures, particularly in the South-East, while allowing Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, to gain more ground in the region.
Speaking during a media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Wednesday, Wike said he and his allies had identified Atiku as the politician with the strongest control over the PDP’s chances in the election.
“Do you know what we did in 2023? Let me tell you now to shock you. We knew that the man who was controlling the election was Atiku,” Wike said.
“Forget about all the noise about Obi. We gave it to him – take the South-East.”
The FCT minister said former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, was also central to the strategy because of his opposition to the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
“We knew his bias, we knew what was going to happen because of the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” Wike said.
According to Wike, the plan was to block Atiku’s access to critical support while encouraging Obi to consolidate his support base in the South-East.
“We wanted to block Atiku, so we said, support Obi. It was a strategy. We wanted to defeat him, yes. And he took it,” he added.
Wike further claimed that the strategy also contributed to Atiku losing significant support in the South-South, which he argued could have affected the final outcome of the election.
He maintained that internal divisions and political calculations within the PDP played a major role in the party’s defeat in 2023.
The revelation comes as opposition politicians continue to make fresh political moves and alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Source: Wike’s media chat in Port Harcourt
