Wike, Not Atiku, Allegedly Played Role in Peter Obi’s Exit from PDP

By Milcah Tanimu

Paul Ibe, spokesperson for the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, revealed that Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), played a significant role in Peter Obi’s departure from the party.

Ibe stated that Atiku advocated for the PDP to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the Southeast, but Wike opposed this idea.

Peter Obi served as the PDP’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential election but later defected to the Labour Party (LP) in preparation for the 2023 presidential election, where he garnered over six million votes.

Ibe clarified that Atiku was willing to support the zoning of the PDP presidential ticket to the Southeast. However, he alleged that Wike obstructed this effort, preferring the ticket to be zoned to the South rather than specifically to the Southeast.

In an interview on Seun Okinbaloye’s Mic On podcast, Ibe asserted that Atiku was prepared to step aside from the ticket if the party decided to zone it to the Southeast, but Wike’s opposition hindered this possibility.