We encouraged voting for Obi to reduce Atiku’s votes – Wike on G5 strategy

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has denied allegations that he manipulated the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State and the South-South region to assist President Bola Tinubu over Labour Party candidate Peter Obi. The claims were reportedly circulated mainly on social media platforms. During a recent interview, Wike clarified that the G5 group of governors had implemented a political strategy aimed at decreasing the impact of Atiku Abubakar, the candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), rather than rigging the election.

Critics had seized upon his comments, suggesting that the strategy was a form of vote manipulation. Wike, however, emphasized that the goal was to ensure Obi received votes in the South-South to prevent Atiku from gaining too many in those areas. He questioned how anyone could claim to have manipulated results from thousands of polling units and dismissed the notion that social media trends could accurately predict election outcomes.

Wike reiterated that the opposition had failed to provide any court evidence supporting the claim that the election results from Rivers State had been tampered with. He maintained that the strategy worked and urged political discussions to be grounded in actual election results rather than social media speculation.