In the 2023 presidential election, then-candidate Bola Tinubu used Peter Obi (Labour Party standard-bearer) against Atiku Abubakar by dividing the votes between the two opponents to emerge as the winner. FCT minister Nyesome Wike disclosed this strategy on Wednesday in an interview as he discussed his desperation to ensure Mr Tinubu’s re-election.
Mr Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress won the last presidential poll with 8,794,726 votes, Mr Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party came second with 6,984,520, and Mr Obi polled 6,101,533 to emerge third.
The trio are running for president again.
“Look at the entire votes of Obi that would have gone to Atiku, all gone,” Mr Wike stated.
The FCT minister, who claimed Mr Obi was not a threat in the 2023 election, said the politician was allowed to win some South-South states to prevent Mr Abubakar’s victory.
But Mr Obi also claimed victory in Lagos.
“The South-South ought to be a PDP stronghold that would have made Atiku win the election. In Cross River, we say support Obi. APC took second in the state. In Edo, they supported Obi,” Mr Wike said. “So the PDP structure there supported Obi, because he was not a threat as per the election. Then in Rivers state, since I am here, we said no to Obi and Atiku. We supported the president.”
According to the FCT minister, Mr Obi lacks the required political strength to win the 2027 presidential election.
“When he appeared at the NBA conference, they’re shouting Obi. For you, he’s popular. When the proper mathematics comes to the table, we’ll know,” Mr Wike stated.
The 2027 poll is expected to be a repeat race between the three politicians, with the power of incumbency resting with Mr Tinubu, who has several issues to contend with, including his handling of the nation’s economy and security and his cocaine trafficking case in the United States.
Mr Abubakar’s public service is also tainted with corruption allegations and he is considered part of the political class that has impoverished the country.
While popular among many Nigerian youths, Mr Obi is battling the tag of being a religious bigot since his infamous leaked telephone conversation.