Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed that his decision not to support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the 2023 elections was partly to prevent his political rival, Rotimi Amaechi, from claiming credit for a potential PDP victory.

Speaking during his monthly press briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike explained the political calculations behind his controversial decision to work against his own party's presidential candidate.

"In 2023, he [Amaechi] came and said he was going to support Atiku in PDP. Thank God we did not support PDP, if we had supported PDP and they won, he would have taken the glory," Wike stated.

The FCT Minister further claimed that his opposition to Atiku's candidacy proved effective, saying, "We said okay, we won't support PDP and they didn't get up to 10 percent."

The Roots of Wike's Opposition to Atiku

Wike's fallout with Atiku began during the build-up to the 2023 presidential election when the PDP zoned its presidential ticket to the North. As a prominent PDP member and then-governor of Rivers State, Wike, alongside other southern governors, had insisted that the party could not allocate both the national chairmanship and presidential ticket to the North.

The minister had maintained that the PDP should zone its presidential ticket to the South in the interest of fairness and equity. When the party refused, Wike took the controversial step of supporting Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate who eventually won the presidency.

This latest revelation adds another dimension to the complex political rivalry between Wike and Amaechi, both powerful figures from Rivers State who have been at loggerheads for years. Amaechi previously served as Rivers State governor before Wike and later became Minister of Transportation under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Wike's comments suggest that preventing Amaechi from gaining political capital was a significant factor in his decision-making during the 2023 electoral cycle, highlighting how personal rivalries continue to shape Nigeria's political landscape.