By Cross Udo
A former Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over his comments on the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State.
Obono-Obla, in a statement issued on Monday, said attempts to interpret Wike’s remarks as an admission of electoral rigging were misleading.
He said Wike was referring to a political strategy adopted by the G-5 governors during the 2023 presidential election, rather than manipulation of electoral processes.
According to him, the governors encouraged voters in parts of the South-South to support Peter Obi of the Labour Party as part of efforts to deny Atiku Abubakar the bloc votes he expected from the region.
“That is legitimate political strategy. It is not rigging,” Obono-Obla said.
He distinguished the strategy from electoral offences such as ballot stuffing, falsification of results, manipulation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and voter intimidation.
Obono-Obla said Wike and the other G-5 governors — Seyi Makinde, Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Samuel Ortom — had publicly stated their opposition to Atiku’s candidacy.
He also referred to Wike’s challenge over the evidence presented at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal concerning alleged manipulation of results in Rivers State.
Obono-Obla questioned the reliance on polling-unit results circulated on social media, arguing that claims concerning the election should be assessed against the wider polling-unit record.
He also defended Wike’s current political position, saying his support for President Bola Tinubu did not amount to evidence of wrongdoing.
According to him, Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party but has expressed the view that Tinubu deserves support.
Obono-Obla said Wike’s position should be regarded as a political conviction rather than linked to the 2023 election strategy.
He maintained that the former Rivers governor’s decision to support a particular candidate or political direction was part of political competition and did not, by itself, constitute electoral malpractice.
