2027: Wike Restates Loyalty to Tinubu, Denies Presidential Ambition

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed reports linking him to a possible 2027 presidential bid, describing the claims as “cheap blackmail and idle propaganda.”

In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the minister faulted an online publication that alleged a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was urging him to run for president.

Olayinka described the report as “baseless”, accusing the platform of being known for “falsehood and blackmail.”

“As far as Wike is concerned, it is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu till 2031,” Olayinka stated.

He stressed that the minister’s political stance was clear — full support for President Tinubu’s leadership and commitment to his re-election bid.

According to Olayinka, the speculation arose from a routine meeting of PDP stakeholders from Southern Nigeria held on August 20, 2025, which was wrongly interpreted as a move to endorse Wike for president.

He explained that the meeting focused on zoning discussions within the party, not on any individual’s ambition.

Those who signed the communiqué of the meeting, he said, included state party chairmen from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers, as well as Hon. Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck, National Vice Chairman (South-East), and Hon. O. K. Chinda, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, among others.

Olayinka alleged that “mischief makers” were attempting to twist the facts to suggest that Wike was secretly nursing a presidential ambition.

“The Minister does not function in hiding. He does what he says and says what he does,” he said.

Reaffirming Wike’s loyalty to President Tinubu, Olayinka noted that the FCT minister would continue to support the Renewed Hope Agenda, focusing on transforming Abuja into a globally competitive capital in line with the President’s vision.

“From now till 2031, it is on the mandate of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he will stand,” Olayinka added.

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