Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has hit back at Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and other All Progressive Congress governors, saying politics is no longer about coming from fourth place to become governor as tensions deepen within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike, in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said he never promised anyone that the Peoples Democratic Party would not field candidates in governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections in 2027.
He said his support was specifically for Bola Tinubu’s re-election, stressing that he would not help politicians win elections in their respective states.
Wike said, “Politics is local,” and urged politicians facing challenges in their states to resolve them rather than use Tinubu’s re-election bid to whip up sentiments.
The minister also explained that he and other members of the G5 did not meet with the APC before supporting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
“For 2027, my support is for the Tinubu only,” Wike said.
He challenged claims about the strength of the APC in states such as Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi, questioning how the party won National Assembly seats in those states in 2023 despite Tinubu recording significantly lower presidential votes in some of them.
Wike specifically asked how the APC won two senatorial seats in Imo State during the same election in which the party secured less than 15 per cent of the presidential vote.
He questioned whether the results were the product of a “rainbow coalition” or whether voters had been confused.
The FCT minister said voters could support different parties at presidential and state levels, arguing that the same pattern could occur in 2027 if politicians genuinely mobilise support for Tinubu.
Wike urged stakeholders to prioritise Tinubu’s re-election before turning their attention to governorship and other state-level contests.
He maintained that the “rainbow coalition” he referred to had nothing to do with the APC, describing it instead as a strategy to mobilise support across political parties for Tinubu.
He also insisted that the PDP remained free to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections in 2027.
