Governor Wike intervened and prevented the South East from securing the nomination. The account of Peter Obi’s departure from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was recounted by the party itself, detailing how the current Labour Party presidential candidate was compelled to leave due to the actions of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
Background: Obi, a previous Governor of Anambra State, was gearing up to enter the fray of the PDP presidential primary election until the party’s higher echelon opted to make it a level playing field for candidates from both the Northern and Southern regions.
During his appearance on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on February 15, 2023, Daniel Bwala, a Spokesperson for the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organization, elucidated that their party had originally discussed the possibility of allotting the presidential ticket to the South.
However, these intentions were foiled when Governor Wike intervened and prevented the South East from securing the nomination.
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He narrates the story: “The conversation started growing, it started reverberating to a point where Atiku said if the party was inclined to zoning, he is of the opinion that it should be zoned to the South East or North East because these are the zones that have not benefited and that if it was zoned to the South East, he was not going to contest.
“But Gov Wike, who has an interest in running for President, started by removing Uche Secondus as the Chairman of the party before that time.
“And during this time of advocacy and deliberation, Governor Wike ensured that the committee formed to deliberate on the structure of the party and the presidency zoning came out with the findings that support his ambition at the party’s chairmanship level whether it would go to the North or thereabout.
“He was thinking that if the Chairman comes from the north it was natural the presidential candidate would come from the South.
“When it came to the presidential poll, he ensured that the outcome left the people’s poll because of the growing conversation that it should be zoned to the South East when it was agreed that it would go to the South.
“When Obi saw that it was thrown open, he knew he couldn’t challenge gladiators in the party and so he left. Again Peter ought to have been the leader of the party in Anambra but he was frustrated by the command and control of Governor Wike.”
