Wike says G-5 strategy helped Obi win in two South-South states

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has said the group of five governors known as the G-5 deliberately created conditions that allowed Peter Obi to win in some South-South states during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election. According to Wike, the strategy was aimed at preventing Atiku Abubakar from securing the votes in those states. He specifically referred to Edo and Cross River in explaining how the group’s political decisions affected the contest.

The minister’s account presents the governors’ actions as a strategic intervention in the election rather than an effort to secure victories for Obi across the region. The source material does not provide further details of the decisions taken by the governors or describe the specific steps through which Obi benefited. Wike’s comments concern the role of the G-5 in the presidential election and its effect on the distribution of support among the leading candidates.

The group’s alleged objective, as described by the minister, was to stop Atiku, who was seeking votes in the South-South. The account does not include a response from Atiku, Obi or the other governors, and it does not provide figures showing the candidates’ performance in Edo or Cross River. It also does not state whether the governors publicly endorsed a particular candidate as part of the strategy.

Wike, who is now the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, made the disclosure while discussing how the G-5’s approach influenced the election outcome in the two states.