ABUJA, Nigeria — The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that a fresh political strategy has been put in place ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying political actors must identify their major threats and work out ways to contain them.
Wike made the disclosure while speaking with journalists after inspecting ongoing projects across the FCT on Wednesday, reports Vanguard.
The minister also clarified his recent comments on the 2023 presidential election, explaining that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) G5 governors, of which he was a member, had deliberately adopted a strategy aimed at denying the party’s presidential candidate at the time, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, votes in the South-South.
According to Wike, Atiku was considered a greater political threat than Labour Party candidate Peter Obi during the 2023 election.
“Our strategy was that, listen, you vote, make sure that you vote for Obi to win, in order to deny Atiku the votes,” he said.
Wike explained that the South-South had traditionally been a stronghold of the PDP and that allowing Atiku to secure the region’s votes could have significantly strengthened his position in the election.
He said the G5’s political calculation was therefore to prevent Atiku from benefiting fully from the region’s traditional PDP support.
The minister, however, rejected allegations that the strategy amounted to manipulating the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State in favour of President Bola Tinubu.
He challenged those making the allegation to produce evidence showing that Obi’s Labour Party actually won Rivers State.
“Did anybody tender any result from Rivers State that, ‘Look, this is the result, we won’? Did anybody? It’s unfair. It’s unfortunate there’s nothing we can do,” Wike said.
He added that every political camp had its own strategy during elections, saying such calculations were not necessarily disclosed publicly.
“We have our strategy in this election, and whether you like it or not, it’s not for us to let the cat out of the bag,” he said.
Wike further argued that his principal political concern in 2023 was Atiku rather than Obi, describing the perception of Obi’s strength as being driven largely by social media rather than the actual distribution of votes.
“When you are strategizing to win an election, you look at a lot of factors: who is my threat? If this is my threat, this is a lesser threat, and I know what to do so as to make sure that the vote of my major threat does not increase,” he said.
The FCT minister also maintained that electoral manipulation could not succeed in areas where a candidate or party lacked genuine grassroots support.
“You cannot rig an election where you are not popular. You cannot! If you try that, then you see what happens; people will resist it,” he said.
FCT projects
Speaking on the projects inspected, Wike said the Road S1 in Kaura District and its associated bridges would be completed and handed over by December 15.
He also said Collector Road C2 in Life Camp, including its link to the old Keffi Road, would be completed and handed over in December.
On Arterial Road N16 in Gwarinpa, the minister said the contractor had assured him that the project would be completed by the first week of January, despite the difficult terrain.
Wike said the completion of the road would have a significant impact on the Gwarinpa axis.
On the IBB Golf Course, which was shut following a dispute among some members, he said a committee headed by the President of the Court of Appeal had been constituted to resolve the issues.
He added that President Bola Tinubu had directed that the facility be reopened because of its importance to the Presidency and the diplomatic community.
Wike said the golf course was expected to be ready for a scheduled tournament in November.
“I am happy if these projects are completed before the election time; it will be a Christmas gift to the residents of Abuja by Mr President,” he said.
On the implementation of the FCT budget, Wike said the 2026 capital budget had recorded at least 60 per cent performance despite delays in its release, which he said had previously affected payments to contractors.
He also dismissed questions about criticisms by a lawmaker over a loan, saying politicians seeking re-election should present their records to voters.
“The issue now is, if you want to run in the election, go and tell people: assuming that I took a loan, what did you do? You did nothing. That means you are not a good legislator, you didn’t do your work,” Wike said.
He added that residents of Abuja had already expressed support for former senator Philip Tanimu Aduda in the Senate race.
