Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday flaunted the twin credentials of “integrity and character” as reasons why he would not contest against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Speaking during a media chat in Abuja, Wike said, “I have integrity and character. My appointor is running. There is no way I would contest against him.” He added that he was ready to “place a bet” on Tinubu’s re-election, contrary to forecasts by former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
“I can place a bet with confidence that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election,” Wike stated, while questioning El-Rufai’s projection. “I heard someone say Mr President will come third in 2027. I don’t know the maths he used. But my concern is, if he (Tinubu) will come third, who will come first and second?”
El-Rufai, in an interview with Channels Television the previous day, had predicted that Tinubu had “no pathway to win” in 2027 and could finish third, warning that there might be no outright winner in the first ballot.
The FCT minister also defended the legality of the just-concluded local government elections in Rivers State, declaring that emergency rule provided constitutional cover for their conduct.
Speaking about the backlash following the polls, Wike said critics of the exercise, particularly former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra governor Peter Obi, were ignorant of the law and driven by political frustration.
He explained that the Federal High Court had given Rivers State the legal basis to conduct the elections despite subsisting disputes, stressing that emergency rule empowered the President to make regulations for governance in affected states.
“Under emergency rule, certain aspects of the law are suspended to allow government function. The sole administrators act on behalf of the President. Funds are made available in line with Supreme Court pronouncements,” Wike said.
He faulted Atiku for questioning the exercise, arguing that the former vice president was unaware that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had signed amendments on emergency powers in 2004. “What you don’t know, don’t comment about. This is law, not Customs. Atiku does not have the knowledge,” he charged.
On Obi, Wike mocked the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate for describing the Rivers polls as “rascality.” “Who can be more rascal than Obi? As governor for eight years, he could not conduct an election two months before leaving office. Doctors were on strike for 13 months under him. He has no moral authority to lecture anyone on democracy,” Wike declared.
Wike warned Bauchi State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, against moves to bring former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, back to the PDP. He said bringing Obi back to the PDP and giving him the presidential ticket would destroy the party.
“Bringing Obi to where? You want to kill the party? Obi that was abusing the party, saying it is rotten — so the party is now good enough for him? Ambition can make people even go to Satan’s house,” he said.
Asked about an alleged alliance between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the elections, the minister dismissed suggestions that the APC’s victories in Rivers portend a national trend ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Every election has its peculiarity. What is important is that for the first time in our history, no gunshots, no hijacking of ballot boxes, no kidnapping of returning officers. If there is an alliance between APC and PDP in Rivers, then Nigerians should commend us for achieving peaceful elections,” he said.
defeat, noting that only Jonathan had demonstrated statesmanship by accepting electoral loss.
“Politicians must stop deceiving Nigerians. This talk of one-term presidency is false. When you get there, circumstances change. Let Obi first find a platform before promising anything,” he said.
The minister also cast doubt on the PDP’s planned national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, scheduled for November, stating that unresolved crises could prevent it from being held.
“The issue of the national convention is not the problem. The issue is the problems leading to the convention, and people should understand that. If they are not well taken care of, there is a likelihood that the convention will not hold,” he said.
Wike added that his group within the party would meet to take a position, stressing that the venue was not in dispute but that the party must resolve its internal issues before convening.
“The venue is not the subject matter. The subject matter is have you done what you were supposed to do before holding that convention? If not, it may be a setback,” he warned.
Wike attributed the PDP’s poor showing in the state to internal crises, particularly tensions between the state and the party’s national leadership. “We advised those who still had confidence to contest. PDP’s problem in Rivers was created by the national body,” he added.
Wike also warned that the PDP would be further weakened by moves to draft former President Goodluck Jonathan or bring Obi back into the party.
“I respect Jonathan, but the same people wooing him today sabotaged him in 2015. Bringing Obi back will kill PDP completely,” he cautioned.
He condemned what he described as the culture of refusing to concede defeat, noting that only Jonathan had demonstrated statesmanship by accepting electoral loss.
(Source: The Guardian)
