Wike: Obi Supporters Won Rivers Only in Their Imagination

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims by supporters of Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, that their principal won Rivers State.

Wike described the claim as a product of “imagination” and challenged Obi’s supporters, popularly known as Obidients, to produce evidence showing that the former Anambra State governor won the state.

The FCT minister spoke on Monday during an interview on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, where he was asked whether the support he enjoys in Rivers was organic, given the persistent claim by Obi’s supporters that their candidate won the state in the 2023 presidential election.

“They won by their own imagination,” Wike said. “Who did INEC declare to have won?”

He also questioned the strength of the claim, pointing to the outcome of the election litigation process.

“When they went to the tribunal, were they able to defend their claim?” he asked.

Wike said winning an argument on social media was different from securing victory through the ballot.

“You can win on social media; I’m not interested in social media winning,” he added.

The former Rivers State governor further argued that claims about the outcome of an election could not be based on what happened in only one part of the state.

“You don’t stay in one place in Port Harcourt and say Obi has won,” he said.

Wike noted that Rivers State has 23 local government areas, stressing that an assessment of the election outcome should be based on results from across the state.

He subsequently challenged Obi’s supporters to produce the official result sheet they relied on in making their claim.

“Let them produce that result sheet that says Obi won,” Wike said.

The controversy over the 2023 presidential election result in Rivers has continued to feature in political discussions, particularly among supporters of Obi and political actors in the state.