Wike refutes rigging allegations against Peter Obi in 2023

Critics, public commentators, and opposition figures argued that Wike’s statement was a public confession of voter manipulation. Reacting, Wike clarified that the results were the product of calculated electoral strategy aimed at neutralising major political threats rather than illegal manipulation. Responding to critics who accused him of altering result sheets in favour of Tinubu, Wike mocked the notion that an individual could single-handedly dictate the outcome across thousands of polling units.

“People who don’t understand, how can they say I rigged the election? How would I have done it? So, I just took the result sheets, wrote it, and gave it to INEC?” he asked. He emphasised that social media projections often fail to reflect the reality across the country’s vast voting infrastructure.

“I’ve always said social media does not win elections. You have about 176,000 polling units, and probably you have seen 300 polling units, and then you rush to the conclusion that so-and-so has won. “Election outcomes are not predicted this way,” he said.