Wike Declares War on Atiku, Vows to Stop Him in 2027

…Says Tinubu Will Clear 25% Threshold Across North, Insists He’ll Be First Target if Opposition Wins

By Peter Salami
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that he would deploy his political strength to stop former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from winning the 2027 presidential election, saying he would not stand by and watch the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate defeat President Bola Tinubu.

Wike, who spoke on Wednesday during his monthly media parley in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, also predicted that Tinubu would secure at least 25 per cent of the votes in every northern state, while Atiku could struggle to reach 10 per cent in several states in the South.

The former Rivers State governor acknowledged that his fierce and open support for Tinubu had raised the political stakes for him personally, saying he expected to become one of the first targets should Atiku or the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, defeat the President.

“You want me to fold my hand for Atiku Abubakar to come and win the election?” Wike asked.

He said there was no ambiguity about where he stood in the approaching presidential contest and that virtually all his current political calculations were directed towards securing Tinubu’s re-election.

“Each day I sleep, I am thinking about the President’s re-election. When I am eating, I think about the President’s re-election. Everything I am doing now is about the President’s re-election,” he said.

Wike said he understood the possible consequences of taking such an uncompromising position, particularly if the opposition succeeded in unseating Tinubu.

“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,” he said.

The minister maintained that the prospect would not deter him, saying he had already endured sustained criticism and attacks over his support for the President.

“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 thing. My business is, like I said, I am going to support Mr President,” Wike declared.

Turning to the electoral arithmetic, Wike dismissed suggestions that Tinubu’s political standing in northern Nigeria had weakened to the point of threatening his re-election prospects.

He argued instead that attention should equally be paid to Atiku’s ability to garner sufficient support in southern Nigeria.

“There is no way in the North that the President will not make 25 per cent. There are so many places in the South that [Atiku] won’t have 10 per cent,” he said.

Wike specifically predicted victories for Tinubu in several North Central states, naming Plateau, Nasarawa, Kwara, and Kogi among states he believed would fall to the President.

“Let’s take North Central. Who will win in Plateau? The President will take Plateau. He will win Nasarawa. He will win Kwara. He will win Kogi,” he said.

The FCT minister also rejected suggestions that economic hardship and widespread concerns over the cost of living would necessarily translate into electoral defeat for the President.

According to him, economic hardship had featured prominently in previous Nigerian elections without automatically determining their outcomes.

“Is there any election that had no hunger in Nigeria? Mention one election. Even with Buhari’s election, people were talking about insecurity and hunger. Everybody still voted,” Wike stated.

Wike also turned his fire on his longtime political rival and former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, declaring him unsuitable for the office of Vice President because of his record in government.

He accused Amaechi of actions that undermined the judiciary during his tenure as Rivers governor and urged voters to scrutinise the records of politicians presenting themselves as defenders of democracy and the rule of law.

“Rotimi Amaechi, who wants to be Vice President today, once shut down the courts in Rivers State and caused a pregnant woman to give birth in prison,” Wike alleged.

He argued that the treatment of the judiciary under any political leader should be a significant consideration in determining whether that person was suitable for high executive office.

Wike also criticised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), accusing its leadership of abandoning the association’s traditional non-partisan role and becoming involved in partisan politics.

“The Nigerian Bar Association has now taken sides politically. They are now a political party,” he said.

Meanwhile, the minister dismissed reports that his increasingly frequent presence in Rivers State meant he was preparing to relocate from Abuja ahead of the elections.

He explained that his visits were intended to maintain direct contact with his political base and ensure that preparations for 2027 were progressing as expected.

“It is not about relocating; it is about coming home to relate with the people and talk to them, and also do those things you know how to do very well, not to take chances,” he said.

Wike said he was unwilling to depend exclusively on assurances from political associates that everything was going according to plan in Rivers State.

“I don’t want to sit in Abuja and candidates are saying, ‘Oh, don’t bother, everything is going on well.’ I have to come home and see that all those things are going on,” he said.

The minister added that he maintained deep family and political ties to Rivers, where his parents still live, stressing that regular visits would become increasingly important as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general election.