Obi Should Forget 2027, Prepare For 2031 – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has told the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to forget the 2027 presidential election and prepare for 2031, insisting that the political circumstances that produced the former Anambra State governor’s strong showing in 2023 had changed.

Wike made the declaration on Monday during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists Hangout, where he defended his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and argued that the political calculations across the country were no longer the same as those of 2023.

The minister said his support for Tinubu was based on his assessment of the President’s approach to governance and willingness to take difficult decisions, stressing that leadership was not about making decisions that everyone would applaud.

“Leadership is not about taking decisions that everybody will like. Leadership is about you being bold and firm to take a decision that you think will bring your country from the crisis that we are in, even when that will make our people have to make sacrifices,” he said.

Wike said he believed Tinubu had demonstrated the capacity to take difficult decisions, arguing that the removal of fuel subsidy, despite its economic consequences for Nigerians, had not prevented the availability of petroleum products.

“Even when there was that subsidy, it became difficult even to get the product. You can’t get the product even without subsidy. Now you have removed subsidy, you are selling the price high, yet we are getting the product. Which one do you prefer?” he said.

He also challenged claims that opposition candidates were gaining popularity simply because their messages were resonating with Nigerians, urging political commentators to examine the situation across the six geopolitical zones rather than relying on rallies.

“If you are using the fact that there are rallies, then you are making a very big mistake,” he said.

Wike particularly dismissed the suggestion that Obi would dominate the South-South as he did in parts of the region during the 2023 election.

He cited the emergence of the Rainbow Coalition and changing political alignments as factors that, according to him, had altered the situation in states such as Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Delta.

Recalling the strategy adopted by the G5 governors ahead of the 2023 election, Wike said the group had deliberately sought to prevent the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, from benefiting from the party’s strength in the South-South.

“We in the G5, we said we have a strategy. We said in Edo, PDP is stronger in the South-South. Our problem would be Atiku. Therefore, it’s not for Atiku to take it. Let him go to the Labour Party. That was our strategy,” he said.

He said the circumstances had since changed, arguing that Obi could no longer rely on the same political dynamics that existed during the last presidential election.

“So now it’s no longer the same scenario. I can tell you authoritatively now. Let’s take it in Cross River. In Cross River now, how will Obi win? In Akwa Ibom, how will he win? In Delta, how will he win? It’s the same,” he said.

Wike also questioned Obi’s claims concerning his record as Anambra State governor, amid a fresh controversy over debts allegedly incurred by the former governor.

The Anambra State government recently released records alleging that Obi left outstanding external loans, while Obi has rejected the claims as false.

The FCT minister said Obi had previously challenged Nigerians to scrutinise his record and debt profile, arguing that the current controversy should be viewed against that earlier position.

“When Obi campaigned, he was campaigning, ‘Go and check my record. Go and check my debt profile. If anybody can come out to say this and that, I will resign.’ It’s easy to say,” he said.

On the 2027 presidential contest, Wike was categorical about where his political support lies, saying his immediate objective was to ensure Tinubu secures a second term.

“My concern is that the President will be re-elected for the second term. That is my concern. And I made it known from the onset that I was going to support Mr President with all my might and strength,” Wike said.

He dismissed speculation that his political activities were designed to position him for the 2031 presidency, saying it was too early to begin making such calculations, saying that Tinubu would naturally have an interest in determining his successor after 2027.

“By 2031, Mr President will not run and he will have interest in who will succeed him, and I will not be at loggerhead with his interest,” he said.

Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while serving in the APC-led federal government, has repeatedly said the Rainbow Coalition is focused on mobilising support for Tinubu rather than destabilising the APC.

But, returning to Obi’s 2027 ambition, Wike ended his argument with a blunt political assessment; “For this election, leave it for Tinubu. Prepare for 2031. And that’s the truth of the matter.”