Why Atiku Failed To Get His 2019 Votes In 2023 Presidential Elections

The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded presidential elections, Atiku Abubakar performed abysmally in states controlled by aggrieved governors of the party.

The integrity group led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state had fallen out with the PDP candidate in the aftermath of the presidential primaries of the parties.

Wike’s rift with Atiku deepened when he announced Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as running mate and the subsequent reluctance of the party to relieve Iyorchia Ayu of his duties as chairman.

Backed by governors, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Ifeanyi Ugwanyi of Enugu State and Samuel Ortom of Benue State, the Wike-led G5 group vowed to work against the election of the PDP candidate.

After all reconciliation efforts failed, Atiku ditched the governors and began to work with other party leaders in the G5-controlled states.

Despite securing victory in all the affected G-5 states in 2019, the PDP candidate performed abysmally in the just-concluded polls failing to get 25% of the total votes cast in all of the affected states.

In Rivers State, Atiku came third with 88,468 votes as against the 473,971 he polled to win the state in 2019. The All Progressives Congress (APC) who got only 23 percent of the total votes cast in 2019 (150,710) won the state with 231,591 votes in 2023 (44%).

Similarly, in Oyo State, Atiku failed to get even 25% of the total votes cast despite winning the state in 2019. The PDP candidate only polled 182,977 as against the 366,690 votes he got in 2019.

While it can be argued that the Obidient movement and not G5 governors affected Atiku’s chances in the south-east, the PDP candidates inability to reconcile with the governors of Abia and Enugu states must have also done some damage.

In Abia, Atiku lost by a wide margin managing only 2 percent of the total votes cast (22,676) as against the 68 percent (219,698) he got in 2019.

Likewise, the PDP candidate had a poor outing in Enugu polling only 15,749 (15%) of the total votes cast as against the 355,553 votes (84%) he polled in 2019.

In Benue State, Atiku also fell behind the Labour Party and APC coming a distant third with 130,081 votes (16%) as against the 356,817 votes he got in 2019.