Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ruled out the possibility of a run-off in the 2027 presidential election, dismissing the chances of opposition figures, including former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, of mounting a serious challenge to President Bola Tinubu.
Wike said the political momentum that propelled Obi to third place in the 2023 presidential election had faded, insisting that the movement behind his campaign no longer had the strength to influence another election.
Speaking during a media chat on Thursday, the minister declared that he had “killed” the political wave popularly associated with the Obidient movement.
Start tomorrow informed
Save your place for the morning brief. We’ll start emailing when delivery goes live.
Free. Confirm by email. Unsubscribe anytime.
“All this so-called ‘Obi Kererenke’, it does not exist again. I have killed it. I have killed it,” he said.
Wike also dismissed the possibility of a run-off, questioning which opposition candidates could gather enough support to prevent Tinubu from securing victory.
“Run where? Run-off between who and who?” he asked.
The former Rivers State governor described Obi as a politician with little to offer Nigerians, calling him a dramatist.
“Nigerians know Obi has nothing to offer. He’s a dramatist,” Wike said.
He also questioned whether Obi retained the financial and grassroots support that characterised his 2023 campaign, asking how many supporters were still contributing money to his political ambition.
“How many people are contributing money for Obi today?” he asked.
Wike argued that Obi’s electoral performance and the victory of Labour Party candidates in 2023 were largely products of the political wave at the time, rather than evidence of a lasting party structure.
He cited the election of Senator Ireti Kingibe in the Federal Capital Territory, challenging her to repeat the feat in another election.
“But that wave, now, let her win again now,” he said.
Although he acknowledged the popularity of former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Wike questioned whether his political influence extended beyond Kano State, where he won the presidential election in 2023.
“He’s very popular. But he ran in 2023. He won Kano, fine. Of all other northern states, what vote did he get?” the minister asked.
Wike also challenged claims that the North would provide a decisive electoral advantage to opposition candidates, pointing to states in the North-Central geopolitical zone, including Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Kwara and Nasarawa.
On former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Wike accused him of failing to campaign in Rivers State during the 2023 presidential election, questioning why the former presidential candidate should expect support from the state in another contest.
“Did Atiku campaign here? He didn’t come. He ran away,” he said.
Wike, a former Peoples Democratic Party governor, supported Tinubu in the 2023 election despite remaining in the PDP. He was subsequently appointed FCT minister.
His comments come as opposition figures pursue political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election in a bid to build a platform capable of challenging Tinubu’s re-election.
Obi, who left the Labour Party after the 2023 election, has aligned with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as he prepares for another presidential contest.
Discussion0