I’ll face political retribution if Tinubu loses — Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, says he is prepared to face political reprisals if President Bola Tinubu is defeated in the 2027 presidential election.

Wike said his open backing of Tinubu’s re-election had placed him among the politicians likely to face the strongest backlash from the president’s opponents should power change hands.

“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 during a media chat monitored by our correspondent.

Despite the risk, the former Rivers State governor said he had no intention of withdrawing his support for Tinubu, whom he is campaigning for despite remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wike said Tinubu’s re-election had become the dominant focus of his political activities, dismissing concerns about the possible consequences of his position.

“Each day I sleep, I am thinking about the president’s reelection. When I am eating, I think about the president’s reelection. Everything I am doing now is about the president’s reelection,” he said.

The minister also acknowledged the criticism and personal attacks that have accompanied his decision to support the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.

He said he was unfazed by the criticism, insisting that his priority was to support Tinubu rather than respond to his political detractors.

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

His position has continued to set him apart from much of the PDP as opposition parties and political figures work towards a broader alliance ahead of 2027.

Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who were presidential candidates in the 2023 election under the PDP and Labour Party respectively, are now linked to the opposition realignment around the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Wike, however, has continued to maintain that his political choice is deliberate, despite remaining a PDP member.

The former Rivers governor has repeatedly defended his relationship with Tinubu, arguing that he has never hidden his position or his intention to support the president.

His latest comments highlight the personal political stakes he attaches to Tinubu’s bid for a second term and his willingness to remain publicly aligned with the president regardless of the potential consequences.