Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he won’t contest against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Wike recently asked his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone its presidential ticket to the South. This demand sparked suspicion in the polity that he might contest against Tinubu in 2027.
But in an interview with the BBC News Pidgin at the weekend, Wike said, “I will not contest. Why will I contest against someone I’m working for?”
He reaffirmed his loyalty to Tinubu’s administration, declaring that he had no intention of contesting against the man he was serving. The minister said there was currently no strong opposition figure capable of unseating the President.
“I will not contest again. I cannot contest against someone I am working with. Who will win except him?” Wike said.
“They said they would zone it to the South, let them zone first. When we get to the bridge, we will know how to cross it,” he added.
Speaking on the crisis in Rivers State, Wike, a former governor of the state said the suspended governor, Siminalayi Fubara, remains his political son.
Wike said he cannot fight his son, refuting claims of a feud. He said the battle was not against Fubara, but those he claimed had been pushing the governor against him.
Daily Trust reports that Wike and Fubara have been at loggerheads over the control of politics and governance in Rivers State. Their feud later led to political crisis in the state which prompted the burning down of the state House of Assembly and defections in the state.
In March, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months.
The president made the declaration in a nationwide broadcast, where he equally appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (rtd) as the state’s administrator to oversee governance. Tinubu said the decision was taken to restore stability in the state that had been engulfed in political crisis.
Many observers said Wike was behind the state of emergency in the state to frustrate Fubara.
But the minister said, “That one is not a battle. He (Fubara) is my boy, he is my son, why will I fight with him? I’m only fighting against people who want to steal what they did not work for.
“Now, they are ashamed because they are being defeated. They are the ones pushing Fubara,” he said.
