Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims by supporters of Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar that the duo won the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State, insisting that electoral victories are determined by votes cast across polling units and results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Wike stated this on Monday during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists Hangout programme monitored in Abuja, where he also dismissed concerns about the strength of political opposition against him in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Responding to claims that Obi and the Obidient movement won the 2023 presidential election in the state, Wike said such claims had no basis in the officially declared results.
“They won in their imagination,” Wike declared.
He questioned whether crowds that gathered to cheer a candidate at particular locations could be regarded as evidence of electoral victory, stressing that an election is determined by the aggregate results from polling units.
“I have always told people: they won in their imagination. Nobody declared them to have won. I have been in this system; I am in this game. When Obi went to the Timber Market or somewhere in Rivers State and they were shouting ‘Obi! Obi!’, is that how you win an election?”
The former Rivers State governor also rejected claims based on results from selected polling units, noting that the state has more than 7,000 polling units spread across its 23 local government areas.
“Out of over 7,000 polling units, until all results have come in, even if 200 polling units come out and say Obi or Atiku has won, it does not convince me. They went to the tribunal, were they able to tender or prove to the court that they won the election?”
Wike added: “You can win on social media, but I am not interested in social media winning. I am interested practically in the results on the ground, who won, and who was declared.”
On the political realignment and opposition he is expected to face in Rivers State ahead of 2027, Wike expressed confidence that the contest would not pose the kind of difficulty experienced in some of his previous elections.
The FCT Minister recalled his political journey dating back to 1999, when he began as a local government chairman, saying none of the elections he had contested was without significant challenges.
“I started this game in 1999 as a local government chairman. In all my elections, it has never been easy. In 2015, they said it would be difficult; I won. In 2019, the federal might and soldiers were against me, yet I won,” Wike recalled.
He also disclosed that his late brother, Herbert Wigwe, had advised him to leave Rivers State ahead of the 2019 election because of what Wike described as federal pressure, but said he rejected the advice and remained in the contest.
Wike maintained that his political strength was rooted in his record and relationship with the people rather than federal influence or political alliances.
“Anybody telling you today that people are fighting me in Rivers and that it will be difficult brother, I have never had an election that has been easy, but this one will be the easiest election as far as I know. The factors are clear. What are you going to tell Rivers people now? What will you present to them that will make them believe that following you will be more beneficial than what they have today?” he stated.
