Wike reaffirms PDP loyalty, rules out 2027 presidential bid
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and declared that he will not contest the 2027 presidential election.
Wike made the declaration on Monday during his monthly media chat with journalists in Abuja, stressing that his commitment to the PDP was evident in his ability to deliver his local government area to the party in the recent local government elections, which he described as peaceful and credible.
“I will not run. I have integrity, I have character. There is no way my appointer is there, and we are saying he should run, and then I turn around and say I should run,” Wike stated when asked about the PDP’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
The former Rivers State governor also dismissed predictions by former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai that President Bola Tinubu would place third in the 2027 elections, describing the claim as flawed. “El-Rufai is my friend, but he failed in this mathematics. He goofed. Since he knows Tinubu will come third, he should also provide who will be first and second,” he said.
Wike insisted that Tinubu would win reelection “securely” and even offered to place a bet on the president’s chances if El-Rufai agreed.
Turning to opposition figures, the minister alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi were preparing to contest under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while Labour Party’s Peter Obi was deliberately keeping his supporters guessing.
“Atiku has said he is going to run in ADC, Amaechi has said he is going to run in ADC, but Peter Obi has not said where he will run. Why are you keeping your supporters guessing? He wants to wait until we are finished working in PDP, and then he comes. Is he a saint?” Wike asked.
He maintained that his political camp had sustained the PDP despite internal challenges, adding: “If we didn’t love PDP by now, you wouldn’t be hearing that name. I don’t need to be a governor to do what I want to do. Our own team is meeting today at 7 p.m., and you will hear what we want to say.”
