The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has stated that he knew Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, would not win the February 25th, 2023, presidential election.
Wike also stated that the supporters of Peter Obi are oblivious to the modus operandi of Nigerian politics.
Wike made these remarks on Thursday during an interview on Channels TV, a day after the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal upheld Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 2023 presidential election.
The former Rivers State governor, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, publicly declared support for the All Progressives Congress candidate, Tinubu, and worked for his victory in Rivers State.
His support for Tinubu has earned him the position of minister in Tinubu’s cabinet.
Wike said, “I know that he [Obi] won’t win the election. Let me tell you the truth: I am a realist. For me, the way the election went, it was a tough election. I give it to INEC,” he said.
“Yes, as a young man, people would have preferred that he won, but look at how the votes went.
“There is this generational change; the young people were tired. So, for them, the only hope they had was to vote for Obi as a younger person compared to other candidates.”
Stating emphatically the ethno-religious factors that play key roles in influencing the voting behaviour of voters in Nigeria, Wike said, “there is this generational change; the young people were tired. So, for them, the only hope they had was to vote for Obi as a younger person compared to other candidates.
“But unknown to them, that is not the reality of Nigerian politics. They didn’t take into consideration that ethnicity is a factor.
“They didn’t take into cognizance that religion is a factor, not only competence; that is the reality of Nigerian politics.”
