Chief Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation magazine and a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), of playing a key role in Peter Obi’s exit from the PDP ahead of the 2023 general election.
In an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Momodu claimed that Wike’s actions were instrumental in forcing Obi, the former Anambra State Governor, to leave the PDP and join the Labour Party (LP), where he eventually became the presidential candidate.
Momodu explained that, during the run-up to the 2023 elections, PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar had proposed that the party should support the rotation of power to the South East, in the spirit of fairness and inclusion.
However, Momodu argued that Wike, who had already distanced himself from the South East, opposed this idea and undermined efforts to bring about an equitable power-sharing agreement within the party.
“It was the same Wike who was complaining about the North–South rotation that ended up bringing the committee through our party primary process,” Momodu said.
“Atiku had made it clear that if the party was going to continue rotating power between just a few regions, he would not support it. He wanted to see power ceded to the South East. But Wike had already disqualified himself by stating publicly that he was not an Igbo man, that he was from the South-South, and had no interest in an Igbo agenda. This led to him frustrating Peter Obi’s chances, clearing the way for his own ambitions.”
Momodu went on to explain that the PDP, until Wike’s intervention, had not faced the same internal conflict over zoning its presidential ticket. He believed that Wike and his allies within the party began pushing a North–South agenda, which ultimately caused the party to become divided and left Obi with no choice but to leave.
“Wike succeeded in frustrating Peter Obi out of the party,” Momodu added, “and that’s how the path was cleared for him.”
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