Wike Says Tinubu’s 2027 Re-election Is Constantly on His Mind

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid occupies his thoughts daily, as he intensifies efforts to mobilise support for the President ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Wike made the statement on Monday while addressing separate town hall meetings with the Rumueme and Apara kingdoms in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. The former Rivers State governor used the meetings to urge residents to support Tinubu, citing what he described as federal government projects and appointments involving people from the state. Wike said his commitment to Tinubu’s re-election had become a major focus of his political activities. “Each day I sleep, I am thinking about the president’s re-election. When I am eating, I think about the president’s re-election. Everything I am doing now is about the president’s re-election,” he said. Wike urges Rivers residents to support Tinubu The FCT minister asked residents to put political sentiments aside and consider what he described as benefits that Rivers State had received under the Tinubu administration. According to Wike, the Federal Government had recognised Rivers State through development projects and the appointment of indigenes of the state to strategic positions. He therefore appealed to residents to reciprocate what he described as the administration’s support by voting for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. “Let us forget sentiment and vote for the person who has recognised the people of Rivers State with dividends of democracy and with several appointments,” Wike said. His comments represent Wike’s political position and appeal to voters; they do not establish that Rivers voters as a whole support Tinubu or that the projects and appointments cited will determine the outcome of the election. ‘2027 will be easier than 2023’ Wike also expressed confidence that Tinubu’s bid for a second term would face less difficulty than his 2023 presidential campaign. “I know the re-election of Tinubu in 2027 will be easier than that of 2023,” he said, urging residents to appreciate the President and work towards securing what he called a massive number of votes. The statement was a political assessment by Wike rather than an independently established forecast of the 2027 election outcome. Other political parties and candidates are also preparing for the presidential contest. Wike attacks opposition figures During the meetings, Wike also criticised opposition figures associated with the African Democratic Congress, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi. He questioned the strength of their political platform in Rivers State and argued that the ADC would struggle to meet the constitutional requirement of securing at least 25 per cent of votes in the state. Wike also dismissed Peter Obi and other opposition presidential contenders as “unelectable politicians”. Those remarks were Wike’s political assessment of his opponents and were not supported by an independently verified electoral forecast in the reports reviewed. Appeal for political unity Beyond his criticism of opposition figures, Wike urged his supporters and political allies in Rivers State to avoid internal disagreements and communal disputes that could distract them from their political activities ahead of the 2027 elections. He told supporters not to allow political disagreements to become a source of unnecessary conflict, saying the outcome of events would ultimately be determined by God. Wike’s latest comments form part of his continuing mobilisation for Tinubu in Rivers State as the 2027 election approaches. His support for Tinubu has been publicly expressed despite his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, while the President is seeking re-election under the All Progressives Congress. The FCT minister has increasingly linked his political activities in Rivers State to Tinubu’s second-term campaign, urging residents to judge the administration by its projects and appointments involving the state. With the 2027 contest taking shape, Wike’s comments underline his decision to make support for Tinubu a central part of his political mobilisation in Rivers State.