2027 Polls: Wike dismisses concern over opposition elements in APC Campaign Council

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves a second term because he has taken the difficult economic decisions that earlier administrations avoided.

Speaking during his media parley in Abuja on Tuesday, October 13, 202, the FCT Minister declared that President Tinubu has also displayed the visionary leadership and courage needed to address Nigeria’s foundational challenges.

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Citing the fuel subsidy removal, Mr. Wike said against the advice of many, the President went ahead with the decision because Nigeria would otherwise have crumbled if it hadn’t been done.

He said the decision has freed up funds for state governments to build infrastructure and pay salaries, adding that pensioners are now being paid while students have been in school without strikes for the past three years.

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“We have had presidents who identified these problems, but they were unable to take a decision. Nigeria requires strong leadership. Take subsidy, for example: a lot of people advised against it, but he said, ‘I will do it; if I don’t do it, Nigeria will crumble.’ That decision has made funds available for sub-national governments to provide infrastructure and pay salaries. Our children are now steady in school because there has been no strike in the past three years, our pensioners are being paid, and infrastructure is being provided because money has been made available”.

On the complaints about hardship in the country, the Minister said turning around the economy of a country requires more than simple fixes. He said the poor may not get what they want now, but assured that they will get in due course.

“I have told people, turning around the economy is not like prayer for a sick person. A sick man comes to the prophet or the native doctor, the man prays and a miracle may happen immediately. The economy requires leadership that will take critical decisions that are difficult for people to easily accept”.

Speaking on the recently released list of the Presidential Campaign Council which includes the Minister and others from different political parties from the President, the Minister said the list shows that the President’s appeal reaches beyond the APC. He also dismissed concerns over opposition members supporting the President under the broader political coalition, adding that national interest must supersede political party lines.

“The President in his wisdom has said there are those who are not members of our party but have something to offer. You can see Prof. Soludo, Governor of Anambra State, who is the coordinator for Anambra State. You can see Adeleke in Osun, and then my humble self coordinating for Rivers and the FCT. So, it’s not necessarily an APC thing. There are those who are ready for the President to be re-elected to continue the good work he is doing for Nigeria, and we are happy to be part of it”.

On questions regarding potential confusion from multi-party support, the Minister said: “The major thing is Mr. President. Why would anybody say there is a problem there? There is no confusion. If you say you are a leader and your people believe in you, if you speak to your people, they will listen to you… The time has come to end the situation where, because you are in an opposition party, you say the man in charge has not done well. That is not fair. For us, whether anybody likes it or not, we think that the President has done well. Just because the opposition wants to take power, they are not telling Nigerians the truth. So, we said we must tell Nigerians the truth”.

Directing a response to critics within the ruling party structures, Wike dismissed assertions that external supporters must formally defect to the APC before backing the President:

“Are you saying those in the opposition who want to support the President should not support him? Is that Governor telling me that only APC votes will make the President win? Some people said it will cause confusion—how will it be confusing? I have told my supporters to support the President. Is there any conflict? I have never hidden my support for the President”.

Highlighting achievements under his tenure in the Federal Capital Territory, the Minister noted that direct engagement and grassroots infrastructure have shifted public sentiment in favor of the administration.

The Minister said he expects a strong showing for the President in the FCT, citing his visits to all the Area Councils and the expected commissioning of projects like the long awaited Apo-Karshi road before December. He said every Area Council now has two police stations and a DPO’s residence, adding that FCT stakeholders have met and endorsed the President.

“Nothing makes people happier than when you communicate with them. Right from day one, the President said, ‘Don’t just be a Minister of FCT by staying in the city; go to the rural areas and talk with them.’ There is nothing we agreed with them that we have not done. As I speak today, there is no Area Council where we have not built two police stations and DPO residences.

“Yesterday, all the critical stakeholders in the FCT came together and endorsed the President because of his style. My fight now is for other parties not to have up to 25 percent in FCT. We have won. Before December, we are going to commission several projects in the FCT satellite towns, including the Apo-Karshi road. The people are saying, ‘You’ve done well, and we will give you back.’ That is why I say we have won”.

The Minister also addressed traditional institutions and administrative matters, confirming that certificates and paraphernalia of office for newly upgraded traditional rulers have been signed and will be presented shortly.

Regarding the ongoing teachers’ strike, the FCT Minister accused the NLC leadership of political motives:

“The time has come that we must stop this blackmail. You can’t continue to blackmail us. If we are owing you, that’s a different thing, but this strike is political. We will solve it, within the ambience of the rule of law”.

While criticizing leading opposition figures over their political scorecard, the Minister called on former Rivers State Governor and ADC Vice Presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, to account for uncompleted initiatives and state resources, specifically mentioning hundreds of millions of dollars expended on projects in Rivers State that never materialized.

He also dismissed the chances of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 elections, despite being the sole presidential candidate from the North in the 2027 elections, stressing that no single candidates could lock down entire regions. He asserted that voters will judge candidates based on track records and performance rather than regional politics or rhetoric.

“What will attract people to vote for you is good governance and what you have done on the ground”, the Minister stressed.

On Rivers State and Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s role in the rainbow coalition, Wike stated that the situation in Rivers requires somebody who will have the buy-in of both parties. “Governor Fubara is fully a member, fully playing his part, and contributing his part. Because we are all one, we have forgiven each other and come together. We and Fubara are working together. Whether he is running or not, what is important to him is that his political family will retain power”, the Minister said.

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