Mustapha Lawal
Claim
A message posted in a WhatsApp group (Voice of Nig. Initiative) says Gov Nyesome Wike of Rivers State has directed LGA Chairmen, Commissioners, Special Advisers, Party Excos, and others to Mobilize for Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
Verdict
False!
Full text
A WhatsApp message that was posted on the Voice of Nig. Initiative by one of the participants of the group (Humble Phil: +1 (832) 275-4019) claimed “Gov Nyesome Wike of Rivers State has directed LGA Chairmen, Commissioners, Special Advisers, Party Excos, and others to Mobilize for Peter Obi of the Labour Party, saying there’s no other alternative”.
The message was credited to “All Nigeria Obidient 2023 News Media” and was posted by 3:15 pm on Thursday, 2nd February 2023.
Governor Nyesom Wike had earlier clarified the news making rounds about his endorsement of the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi. Wike said his comment that Obi was presidential material does not mean he endorsed the LP presidential candidate.
The tension about which presidential candidate the aggrieved group of five Governors (The G5) in the PDP will declare their support for, makes the claim on the Whatsapp group worthy of a fact-check
Explainer
As the presidential election date draws closer, all hands are on deck by instruments of politics from different parties to till the tide in their favour and a major means of such include peddling mis/disinformation.
Recall that Governor Nyesom Wike is the leader of a group of aggrieved PDP governors (The G5). Other members of the group include Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and their Abia State counterpart, Okezie Ikpeazu.
The group came about after the PDP presidential primary, where Nigeria’s former vice president, Atiku, defeated Mr. Wike and others to become the party’s presidential candidate.
The governors are aggrieved with the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the party’s national leadership. The group has been demanding the resignation of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to pave the way for a southerner to lead the party to achieve a “regional balance”. The governors argue that both Ayu and Atiku hail from northern Nigeria.
The G5 are seen endorsing candidates of the party in states but remain silent on Atiku, the party’s presidential candidate.
Governor Wike had earlier stated in January, during an interview with BBC Pidgin, that the G5 choice of a presidential candidate would soon be made known to the public, adding that they were not in a hurry to decide on whom to support.
Verification
Checks by FactCheckElections revealed that no such news was reported by any mainstream platform up till the time of this report. Also, checks on the official Twitter handle of Gov. Nyesome Wike revealed no such news.
Conclusion
False! FactcheckElections cannot find any news of such on any reputable platform or even on the official Twitter page of the Governor.