Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu benefited from the division of opposition votes between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election.
Wike made the claim while discussing the political calculations that shaped the last presidential contest and his own opposition to Atiku’s candidacy at the time.
Wike Revisits 2023 Election
According to Wike, votes that could have gone to Atiku were divided after Peter Obi contested the election on the platform of the Labour Party.
The FCT minister specifically pointed to voting patterns in parts of the South-South, which he said contributed to Atiku’s inability to secure enough votes to win the presidency.
In his account, political actors in states including Cross River and Edo supported Obi because they did not consider him a serious threat to the eventual outcome.
Wike said the strategy was different in Rivers State, where he and his political allies supported Tinubu.
Tinubu Won The Election
The 2023 presidential election was won by Tinubu of the APC with 8,794,726 votes.
Atiku, who contested on the PDP platform, came second with 6,984,520 votes, while Obi finished third with 6,101,533 votes.
The three politicians are once again central to the political conversation surrounding the 2027 election.
Wike has repeatedly defended the role he played in the 2023 election, particularly his decision to oppose Atiku despite remaining a PDP member.
Wike Says Obi Was Not A Threat
Wike argued that Obi’s popularity did not necessarily translate into the political strength required to win a presidential election.
He suggested that the former Anambra governor’s ability to attract votes from the South helped reduce Atiku’s potential support in areas traditionally regarded as favourable territory for the PDP.
The claim is Wike’s interpretation of the 2023 political calculations and has become part of his broader argument for supporting Tinubu’s re-election.
2027 Changes The Equation
The political landscape is now different from what it was in 2023.
Atiku has moved to the ADC and is part of a broader opposition coalition, while Obi remains a major figure in opposition politics.
Tinubu has the advantage of incumbency as he prepares for a potential second-term campaign.
The question of whether the opposition will unite behind a single candidate remains one of the biggest issues surrounding the 2027 contest.
Wike’s latest comments suggest that he believes preventing a repeat of the 2023 opposition vote split will be critical to the opposition’s prospects.