By Sandra Kenneth
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a scathing attack on key leaders within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing them of undermining his political standing ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during a media briefing on Wednesday, the FCT Minister explicitly named Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma as figures allegedly orchestrating moves against him. Wike claimed that several ruling-party governors are overly focused on optics and positioning themselves as President Bola Tinubu’s primary champions.
“The problem with these people is that they want to be seen as the ones working for the President. I don’t play that kind of politics,” Wike declared, confirming directly that his criticism was targeted at the Kwara Governor.
Addressing claims that he is surreptitiously sponsoring candidates outside his domain, Wike dismissed the allegations, alleging instead that Governor AbdulRazaq created his own political dilemma by alienating key lawmakers. He warned that internal APC rifts—specifically the displacement of three senators and a House of Representatives member in Kwara—could force aggrieved politicians into opposition platforms such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“If these displaced politicians come to me, they will ultimately support the President,” Wike asserted, rejecting demands by some APC governors that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refrain from fielding candidates in their respective states.
Turning to his friction with Governor Uzodinma, Wike pointedly reminded the Imo Governor of past political favors, stating, “The Governor of Imo State knows very well the support I gave him during his political journey.”
Despite the escalating friction within the ruling coalition’s broader alliance, Wike reaffirmed his unalloyed commitment to President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid. Framing his survival in self-preservation terms, he warned that a defeat for the incumbent administration would leave him vulnerable to political retribution from opposition figures like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
“If peradventure anything happens and Mr. President fails, I will be the first politician whose head Atiku and Obi will hunt for,” Wike said. “I won’t make the mistake of sleeping while watching the President lose.”
