PDP: Wike Is Asset To Tinubu, APC Governors Should Stop Fearing 2027 Contest

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as a “force to reckon with” and an asset to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political project, dismissing the reported opposition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum to his support for the President.

The PDP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, on Tuesday, said the APC governors were allegedly more concerned about their political survival ahead of the 2027 general elections than President Tinubu’s victory.

The party said Wike had a constitutional and democratic right to determine whom he supported politically, arguing that his backing of Tinubu did not amount to abandoning the PDP or joining the APC.

According to the PDP, the APC governors had initially misconstrued Wike’s support for Tinubu as an endorsement of the ruling party but were now realising that supporting the President did not require him to surrender his political identity or relationships within the opposition party.

The opposition party described the reported demand that Wike should neither support nor field candidates capable of challenging APC governors and their preferred candidates as a “fundamental political miscalculation.”

“Elections are contests, and every political party has the democratic right to present candidates before the electorate,” the PDP said.

It argued that the alleged opposition to Wike’s political activities reflected growing anxiety within the APC over the prospect of facing strong PDP candidates in the 2027 elections.

The party further challenged the APC governors to welcome competition if they were confident of their records in office, rather than seeking to prevent opponents from presenting credible candidates.

The PDP said Wike had demonstrated significant political organisation, project delivery and mobilisation capacity both as former governor of Rivers State and as FCT minister, adding that his influence could not simply be dismissed.

“It is therefore politically irrational for anyone claiming to support the President to reject a political leader of Wike’s stature and the votes and mobilisation capacity he can bring to the President’s campaign,” the statement said.

The party also questioned whether the APC governors were genuinely focused on securing Tinubu’s victory or were primarily concerned about their individual political interests.

It urged the governors to concentrate on governance, accountability and performance, including ensuring that local governments receive funds accruing to them through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) without undue interference.

The PDP maintained that Wike was “not a liability” to Tinubu but rather an “asset, a mobiliser and a force capable of contributing significantly to electoral victory.”

It said Nigerians would ultimately determine the political fate of the various parties and candidates through their votes in 2027, stressing that incumbents would have to defend their records before the electorate.

“The message to the APC Governors’ Forum is simple: Chief Barrister Nyesom Wike is a force to reckon with, not a force to reject,” the PDP said.

The party vowed that it would not be intimidated into abandoning the electoral field, saying it would field credible candidates, mobilise voters and present Nigerians with what it described as a genuine alternative in the 2027 elections.