Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed that members of the defunct G-5 governors deliberately prevented Peter Obi from winning Rivers State in the 2023 presidential election.
Wike disclosed this during an interview on TVC News’ Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, September 21, 2026, while discussing the political calculations of the G-5 governors ahead of the 2023 election.
Obi, who contested the election on the platform of the Labour Party, finished third nationally, while Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election.
According to Wike, the G-5 governors had devised a strategy to prevent the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, from dominating the South-South region.
He said the group considered the PDP to be strong in the region and decided that allowing the Labour Party to gain votes in some South-South states would reduce Atiku’s chances.
Wike, however, said Rivers State was treated differently because the G-5 believed Obi’s victory there could have political implications.
He said, “We in the G-5 have our strategy. We said the PDP was stronger in the South-South and our problem was Atiku. Therefore, instead of Atiku taking it, let it go to the Labour Party.
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“It was only Rivers State where we said, ‘No, we have a problem here in Rivers. Obi will not win here. If he wins, he will send a signal somewhere.’ We stopped it.”
The former Rivers State governor also argued that the political situation had changed ahead of the 2027 general elections, claiming that Obi no longer enjoys the level of support he had in the South-East during the 2023 election.
“No longer now. What we know now, Obi does not have it,” Wike said.
Wike’s comments come amid renewed political alignments ahead of the 2027 elections and discussions over the strength of the various political blocs across the country.
