Wike dares Obi's fans to show proof of victory in Rivers

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dared Peter Obi's supporters to show the official result sheet that proves their candidate won Rivers State in the 2023 presidential election.

Wike dismissed the claims from Obi’s fans, known as Obidients, saying their assertion was just in their heads.

The former governor of Rivers State spoke on Monday during an interview on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout. He was asked about his influence in the state and the claim that Obi won Rivers during the last election.

“They won by their own imagination. Who did INEC declare to have won?” Wike asked.

He challenged anyone who disagrees with the official results to bring proof for their claims.

“Let them produce that result sheet that says Obi won,” he said.

Wike also questioned why Obi's followers did not present their claim during the legal battle over the 2023 presidential election.

“When they went to the tribunal, were they able to defend their claim?” he asked.

The minister stated that claims made on social media do not decide election winners.

“You can win on social media; I’m not interested in social media winning,” he said.

He explained that the election results cannot be judged based on observations from just a few polling units in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.

“You don’t stay in one place in Port Harcourt and say Obi has won,” he said.

Wike reminded everyone that Rivers State has 23 local government areas and that the total results must be considered before declaring a winner.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the presidential election held on February 25, 2023, in Rivers.

In Rivers, Tinubu got 231,591 votes, while Obi received 175,071 votes. Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, came in third with 88,468 votes.

These figures came from results collected from all 23 local government areas in the state. Tinubu won in 14 LGAs, Obi won five, and Atiku won four.

Obi's supporters continue to dispute the results, pointing to individual polling unit results and claiming irregularities during the collation process.

Wike was the governor of Rivers during the 2023 presidential election. Even though he was a member of the PDP, he supported Tinubu, who was then the APC presidential candidate.

Tinubu won Rivers by a margin of 56,520 votes over Obi.

Wike has often said that Tinubu’s win in Rivers was due to the political structure he controlled at that time.