Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has warned politicians not to mistake his support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid for an automatic endorsement of candidates contesting governorship and legislative elections in their respective states.
Wike said the political alliance backing Tinubu was primarily focused on securing the President’s return to office, stressing that politicians seeking victories at the state level must rely on their own structures and grassroots support.
The minister made the position known in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
According to Wike, supporting Tinubu at the presidential level does not require political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to abandon their candidates in state and legislative contests.
He said politicians facing opposition or internal challenges in their states should resolve such issues themselves instead of attempting to use Tinubu’s re-election campaign to secure political advantages locally.
“I won’t be the one to help people to win elections in their states. Politics is local, and those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using the re-election of the President to whip up sentiments,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor also rejected claims that the coalition supporting Tinubu was effectively an extension of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He described the group as a collection of politicians from different political parties who share the belief that Tinubu deserves another term in office.
Wike recalled that members of the G5 supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election without entering into any formal arrangement with the APC.
He said the same approach would apply in 2027, maintaining that his focus would remain on the presidential election rather than determining which political parties emerge victorious in state governments and legislative seats.
The minister further cited the outcome of the 2023 elections in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states as evidence that voters can make different choices in presidential and other elections held on the same day.
He argued that the results demonstrated the importance of grassroots mobilisation for politicians seeking governorship and legislative offices.
Wike therefore urged political actors to concentrate on Tinubu’s re-election while allowing individual parties and candidates to pursue their own ambitions in state and legislative contests.
“After the President must have been re-elected, we can all go and face elections in our states,” he said.
He reiterated that his support for Tinubu would not stop the PDP or other political parties from fielding candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections in 2027.
