Wike Vows to Resign if Tinubu Loses FCT, Rivers in 2027

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that he will resign from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet if the President loses the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State in the 2027 presidential election.

Wike made the declaration during an engagement with members and leaders of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja, where he spoke about his political support for Tinubu and his plans ahead of the 2027 elections.

The minister said his continued stay in office would be difficult to justify if he was unable to deliver electoral support for the President in the FCT, where he currently serves as minister, and in Rivers State, his home state.

Wike said he would announce his resignation on January 17, 2027, if Tinubu failed to win the presidential election in both territories.

He explained that his position was based on his belief that political office should come with measurable responsibility and results.

The former Rivers State governor also disclosed that a multi-party coalition was being developed in the FCT as part of efforts to mobilise support for Tinubu and candidates across different elective positions.

Wike made it clear that his support for Tinubu was directed specifically at the presidential election, while the coalition could support candidates from different political parties in legislative contests.

He also openly backed former FCT senator Philip Aduda for the Senate, while indicating support for two House of Representatives candidates who are former area council chairmen.

According to Wike, the political arrangement in the FCT is intended to bring politicians from different parties together around a common objective of securing electoral support for Tinubu.

The minister has repeatedly defended the cross-party arrangement, despite opposition from some members of the All Progressives Congress who have expressed concerns about political alliances outside the formal structure of the ruling party.

Wike has maintained that supporting Tinubu for president does not require politicians to abandon their political parties or support the APC in every other election.

He has cited the experience of the G5 governors during the 2023 elections, when some opposition governors supported Tinubu’s presidential bid while their parties retained candidates for governorship and legislative elections.

The FCT minister has argued that a similar arrangement could occur in 2027, with politicians supporting Tinubu at the presidential level while making different choices in governorship and legislative contests.

His latest declaration comes amid continuing political disagreements between him and some APC governors over the proposed Rainbow Coalition and the structure of support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

The APC Governors Forum had previously stated that its members would support APC candidates and would not endorse political arrangements capable of weakening the party or affecting its candidates.

Wike, however, has continued to maintain that his priority is Tinubu’s re-election and that his political activities are designed to mobilise support for the President across party lines.

He has also rejected suggestions that the coalition is intended to destabilise the APC, arguing that the arrangement is focused on the presidential election rather than taking control of other political parties.

The former Rivers governor remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party but has openly backed Tinubu, a position that has placed him at the centre of the political realignment taking place ahead of the 2027 elections.

Wike’s latest pledge now puts a personal consequence on the electoral outcome in the FCT and Rivers State, with the minister saying he would leave office if Tinubu fails to secure victory in both areas.

The 2027 presidential election is scheduled for January 16, 2027, making Wike’s January 17 resignation deadline the day immediately after the presidential poll.

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