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The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to honour his pledge to resign if President Bola Tinubu loses the FCT in the 2027 presidential election.
The party said Wike’s control of the FCT administration should not be mistaken for control of the electorate, insisting that residents would determine the outcome at the ballot box.
Wike had on September 30 told members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja that he would resign as FCT minister on January 17, 2027, if Tinubu lost either the FCT or Rivers State.
Reacting to the pledge, the NDC FCT Publicity Secretary, Prince Samuel Iloh, said Wike had overestimated his political influence in the capital.
Iloh questioned how the minister could determine the voting pattern in the FCT, noting that Wike would not vote for the presidential candidate in the territory.
“If not that he is taking Nigeria as a banana republic, how could a politician be making such a claim when he has only one vote to cast for the President in Rivers and not even in the FCT?” he asked.
The NDC spokesman also alleged that Wike’s confidence was based on an “election rigging mechanism”, but said the party and FCT residents would defend their votes in 2027.
He cited the 2023 presidential election, when Peter Obi won the FCT with 281,717 votes against Tinubu’s 90,902, as evidence that the territory’s electorate could vote differently from the expectations of those in power.
Iloh urged FCT residents to use the January 16, 2027 presidential election to determine their preferred leadership and called on them to support Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The party also appealed to voters to support its legislative candidates in the territory, including Amanda Pam for the Senate and Hassan Grema and Adamu Kamal for the House of Representatives.
The NDC said Wike should therefore be prepared to honour his pledge if Tinubu fails to secure victory in the FCT or Rivers State.
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