Human rights activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore has reacted to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike's revelation about the 2023 presidential election. Wike disclosed that the G5 governors deliberately worked against the presidential ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in parts of the South-South during the 2023 election. Sowore, who contested the Nigerian presidency under the African Action Congress in 2023, said Wike's disclosure had vindicated his earlier position that there were political arrangements behind the scenes during the 2023 election.
Sowore recalled the series of political meetings and interactions involving the G5 governors, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Peter Obi ahead of the 2023 election. He mentioned the meeting with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in London, Wike's political maneuvering, and Obi's visits to Rivers State. Sowore wrote on X that Wike's comments had confirmed his earlier claims of a political arrangement behind the scenes. He also mentioned that he had been vindicated and that his claims of a "packaged fraud" had been proven true.
Wike had disclosed that the G5 governors identified the PDP's strength in states such as Edo and Cross River as a potential advantage for Atiku and decided that it would be better for Peter Obi to win those states. The G5 governors, consisting of Wike, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, and former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had opposed Atiku's emergence as the PDP's presidential candidate amid its demand for the presidency to be zoned to the South.
Sowore said Wike's latest revelation should be considered alongside questions he and others raised about the political activities surrounding the 2023 election. He alleged that some political actors were helping Bola Ahmed Tinubu while publicly presenting themselves differently and blackballing any Nigerian with a different opinion. Sowore also accused those who questioned the political arrangement at the time of being subjected to attacks and blackmail.
Wike has also questioned whether Obi would be able to repeat his 2023 performance in the South-South during the 2027 election. He asked how Obi would win states such as Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Delta under the current political circumstances. Wike argued that some of the issues that shaped the 2023 election had changed, particularly the controversy surrounding the APC's Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
The minister subsequently advised Obi to focus on the 2031 presidential election rather than the 2027 contest. Wike said that Obi should prepare for 2031, adding that the current political landscape would make it difficult for him to win in 2027. Sowore, who emerged as the AAC's presidential candidate for the 2027 election in May 2026, urged Nigerians to revisit the political events and statements surrounding the 2023 election and compare them with Wike's latest account.
Sowore's reaction to Wike's revelation has sparked a renewed debate about the 2023 presidential election and the role of the G5 governors in shaping its outcome. The development has also raised questions about the future of Nigerian politics and the prospects of Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election.
Key points
- Omoyele Sowore claims Nyesom Wike's comments have vindicated his earlier position on the 2023 presidential election.
- Wike disclosed that G5 governors worked against Atiku Abubakar's presidential ambition in the South-South during the 2023 election.
- Wike advised Peter Obi to focus on the 2031 presidential election rather than the 2027 contest.
