Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has explained why he did not back Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, in the general elections of 2023.
Wike acknowledged during a news conference in Abuja on Friday that he didn’t think Obi had a genuine possibility of winning the presidential election.
He described him as a “social media candidate.”
“No, he has no chance to win election,” Wike said. “I don’t go to where you see people like this kind of social media candidates. I don’t do social media candidate.”
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, emphasised that as a politician, he focuses on analysing candidates with the capacity to win, rather than those perceived to be popular online.
“I said I see that as a politician, and I analyse the candidate who is likely to win,” he said.
According to Wike, winning elections in Nigeria involves more than just being the most qualified or popular on social media platforms.
“In politics, it’s not always the right that oh, this is the best candidate. No, no, no,” he said. “You see Nigerians today, in politics, so many factors come in.”
