Wike Alleges Rift with Peter Obi’s Camp Over Refusal to Align Before 2023 Elections

Former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has claimed that Peter Obi’s supporters are now at odds with him for refusing to align with their group ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Wike disclosed that Obi’s camp heavily lobbied him prior to the elections, but he declined their overtures, believing that the Labour Party candidate had slim chances of victory.

Speaking on Saturday in Port Harcourt, Wike emphasized that he was not willing to “waste” Rivers State votes on a candidate he felt was unlikely to succeed.

“Peter Obi’s group lobbied me so much. They cannot deny it. And I said, ‘look, this one won’t fly.’ Rivers State will not vote where it’s not going to fly,” Wike said. “Now there’s a gang-up, and I say, ‘enough is enough.’ They want to fight us back, but they’re fighting themselves.”

Meanwhile, reports surrounding the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State alleged massive rigging and manipulation of result sheets in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

There were also claims of political thugs allegedly deployed by Wike’s faction to compel voters to back specific candidates, alongside incidents of vote-buying.

The election saw Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party each securing victories in 12 states.

Tinubu was ultimately declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for polling the highest number of votes nationwide.