The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he did not support Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in the 2023 general elections.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, Wike stated that he did not consider Obi a credible competitor, characterising him as a “social media candidate” with no practical road to success.
“No, he has no chance to win election,” Wike stated. “I don’t go to where you see people like this kind of social media candidates. I don’t do social media candidate.”
Wike, who served as Governor of Rivers State, said his decision was based on political calculation rather than sentiment.
According to him, he focuses on evaluating candidates who have the capacity to win, rather than those whose popularity is largely confined to online platforms.
“I said I see that as a politician, and I analyse the candidate who is likely to win,” he said.
Wike stressed that elections are shaped by more than a candidate’s qualifications or online appeal.
“In politics, it’s not always the right that oh, this is the best candidate. No, no, no,” he remarked. “You see Nigerians today, in politics, so many factors come in.”
Reflecting on the political atmosphere during the 2023 elections, Wike highlighted the impact of the naira redesign policy and fuel scarcity, which he said created a challenging landscape for all candidates, especially for the eventual winner, President Bola Tinubu.
“It was very very turbulent for Tinubu to get to that election,” Wike noted. “It is one party administration. You could see people don’t want to speak the truth before that election.”
He further praised Tinubu’s political resilience and strategic acumen for overcoming the hurdles created by his own party’s policies.
“No party in government would at that time bring some policy when you know you’re running an election,” Wike said. “But everything was done and he survived. he survived it.”
Wike concluded by acknowledging that beyond strategy, Tinubu’s victory reflected both experience and divine backing.
“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,” he added.
