The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he did not support Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, during the 2023 general elections.
Speaking in a press briefing on Friday in Abuja, Wike mentioned that he did not believe Obi had a chance of winning the presidential election, describing him as a “social media candidate”.
“No, he has no chance to win the election,” Wike said. “I don’t go to where you see people like this kind of social media candidates. I don’t do social media, candidate.”
The former governor of Rivers State emphasised that as a politician, he focuses on analysing candidates with the capacity to win, rather than those perceived to be popular online.
“I said I see that as a politician, and I analyse the candidate who is likely to win,” he said.
According to the minister, winning elections in Nigeria involves more than just being the most qualified or popular on social media platforms.
“In politics, it’s not always the right that, oh, this is the best candidate. No, no, no,” he said. “You see Nigerians today; in politics, so many factors come in.”
Wike also referenced the challenges faced during the 2023 elections, including the naira redesign policy and fuel scarcity, which he said created a turbulent environment.
“It was very, very turbulent for Tinubu to get to that election,” Wike stated. “It is a one-party administration. You could see people don’t want to speak the truth before that election.”
Wike applauded the eventual winner of the election, President Bola Tinubu, for navigating the difficulties imposed by administration policies at the time.
“No party in government would at that time bring some policy when you know you’re running an election,” he said. “But everything was done, and he survived. He survived it.”
Wike concluded by acknowledging the political experience and strategy that helped Tinubu emerge victorious.
“So that’s how you know that there are people. First of all, God is on their side. Two, they also know this game. You must give it to them.”
