Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike told TVC’s “Journalists’ Hangout” that the five aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors – the so‑called G5 – deliberately shaped a voting strategy in the South‑South region during the 2023 presidential election to prevent PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar from benefitting from the area’s traditional support, while treating Rivers State differently.
According to Wike, the G5 concluded that the PDP’s historic strength in the South‑South could boost Atiku’s national tally. To deny him that advantage, they aimed to divert votes to Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, saying, “Instead of Atiku to take it, let it go to the Labour Party.” The approach was reportedly applied in Edo and Cross River states.
Wike said Rivers was excluded from the plan, stating, “It was only in Rivers, I said, ‘No, Obi would not win here because if he does, it would send a wrong signal somewhere and people would not understand it.’ And we stopped it.” He did not elaborate on what “wrong signal” meant, leaving observers to wonder why the same outcome deemed useful elsewhere was considered unacceptable in Rivers.
INEC declared the incumbent President Bola Tinubu the winner in Rivers with 231,591 votes, followed by Obi with 175,071 and Atiku with 88,468 – a margin of 56,520 votes. While the BBC’s 2023 election project reproduced these figures, later analysis of polling‑unit result sheets on the IReV portal raised questions about possible discrepancies, though no direct link to the G5 strategy has been proven.
“If state officials can ‘allow’ or ‘prevent’ candidates from winning in their states, then the fundamental principle that sovereignty belongs to the people is gravely undermined,” said Ibrahim Zikirullahi, executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), which has called for an investigation into the G5’s actions.
Wike has rejected accusations that he rigged the election for Tinubu, calling such claims a “baseless narrative” and insisting the G5’s actions were merely political manoeuvring against Atiku. Social media users on X have responded with sharp criticism, accusing Wike of suppressing the popular will and even treason, and the debate now centres on where legitimate political strategy ends and unlawful interference with voters’ choices begins.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
