If Tinubu loses, Atiku, Obi will deal with me, says Wike

The FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has indicated that he is likely to be the first political victim of his adversaries if Bola Tinubu does not win the upcoming 2027 presidential race against either Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi.

Being still a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) but clearly supporting the reelection campaign of Bola Tinubu, Wike indicated that he is well aware of the political ramifications of his actions.

The former Rivers State governor made the remarks during a media chat monitored by our correspondent, insisting that the possibility of facing reprisals would not change his decision to support the President.

“I will be the first politician that I think they will come after. I will be the first politician. I know they will come for my head,” Wike said.

Despite the potential political risks, the minister said he had no regrets about his decision to openly support Tinubu and remained committed to helping the President secure a second term.

He said his support for Tinubu had become a major focus of his political activities.

“Each day I sleep, I am thinking about the president’s reelection. When I am eating, I think about the president’s reelection. Everything I am doing now is about the president’s reelection,” he stated.

Wike also spoke about the criticism he has received over his political position, saying the intensity of the attacks against him had been unprecedented.

According to him, he was not bothered by the names he had been called or the views expressed by his critics, maintaining that his priority was supporting Tinubu.

“I don’t see where anybody in this country today has been called names the way my name has been. I am not bothered about people who say their [own] thing. My business is, like I said, I am going to support Mr President,” he declared.

Wike’s position has placed him in an unusual political situation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Although he remains a member of the PDP, he is campaigning for Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), against opposition figures including Atiku and Obi.

His stance has also contributed to tensions within the PDP, particularly amid ongoing efforts by opposition parties and politicians to build a broad platform ahead of the 2027 election.

Atiku and Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the PDP and Labour Party platforms respectively, are now associated with the emerging opposition realignment around the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Wike, however, said the possibility of political consequences would not deter him from pursuing the objective he had set for himself.

The minister maintained that he understood the risks associated with his political choice but remained determined to support Tinubu’s re-election.

His comments further underline the extent to which his current political activities are tied to the President’s 2027 campaign, despite his continued membership of the PDP.

Wike has repeatedly maintained that he has never hidden his political position and that his support for Tinubu should therefore not come as a surprise to political opponents or members of the public.