I Didn’t Play Anti-party Politics In 2023 Elections – FCT Minister Wike

Monday June 2, 2025|

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that he never played anti-party politics, despite his support for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 general elections.

Wike made the clarification during a live media parley on Monday, June 2, where he also noted that despite agreements for a Southern candidacy for President, the leadership had supported former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, causing him to withdraw support.

“In 2023, did I not tell you that I wouldn’t support their presidential candidate? I said, based on equity, justice, and fairness, the presidency should go to the South because you can’t have that and the national chairman at the same time.

“You therefore take one and give us one. Believing that Atiku would win, they said to hell (with it), and I said I was not going to support.

“So why didn’t I leave the party and join the APC? Of all of us then and the PDP governors today, who produced National Assembly 100 percent? Who produced a governor? Ask them in their various states how many senators they have,” he said.

He added, “Bode George supported the Labour Party, and I said I wouldn’t support (Obi). I’m a politician, and I said even if you support this man (Obi), he can’t win the election, so let’s forget about sentiment. “So, George and everybody agreed to support a Southern candidate, we all agreed.

“So what offence did I commit by supporting Tinubu under the APC? If I was playing anti-party, the PDP wouldn’t have won the governorship, NASS seats and Rivers was the only state that gave the PDP that kind of victory.”