Wike, Not Atiku, Frustrated Peter Obi Out Of PDP – Paul Ibe Says

Paul Ibe, spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, has 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 said Atiku wanted the PDP to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the Southeast but Wike worked against it.

Obi was the vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 presidential election but dumped the party for the Labour Party, LP, ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

He later became a force in the last general election, securing over six million votes.

Since the PDP and LP lost to the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2023 election, the leading opposition party has yet to resolve its internal crisis.

However, Ibe said Atiku was ready to zone the PDP presidential ticket to the Southeast.

In an interview on Seun Okinbaloye’s Mic On podcast, Ibe said Wike frustrated the move to zone PDP’s ticket to the Southeast.

He said: “Atiku did not force Peter Obi out of the party, Wike was instrumental in the exit of Obi because Wike had promoted the zoning of the presidency to the south.

“Atiku Abubakar had said that he was prepared to get himself off the ticket if the party zoned the ticket to the Southeast.

“Wike frustrated that effort because he believed that if it was zoned to the south, not the southeast, he would be in the best position to be able to get the ticket.”