2027: Wike hints at fresh political strategy

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has hinted that a fresh political strategy is being developed, saying election battles are won by identifying major threats and responding with calculated moves.

Wike disclosed this while speaking with journalists after inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja, where he also addressed controversies surrounding the role of the Peoples Democratic Party’s G5 bloc in the 2023 presidential election.

The former Rivers State governor said political actors must assess their opponents and determine who poses the biggest challenge during elections.

“When you are strategizing to win an election, you look at a lot of factors: who is my threat? If this is my threat, this is a lesser threat, and I know what to do so as to make sure that the vote of my major threat does not increase,” Wike said.

Although he did not reveal details of the new strategy, Wike suggested that political calculations ahead of 2027 were already underway.

Reflecting on the 2023 presidential election, Wike said the G5 governors’ strategy at the time was focused on reducing the strength of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whom he described as their major political threat.

“Our strategy was that, listen, you vote, make sure that you vote for Obi to win, in order to deny Atiku the votes,” he said.

Wike said Peter Obi was not considered the main threat by the group at the time, arguing that Obi’s influence was largely driven by social media visibility.

“When you are strategizing to win an election, you look at a lot of factors: who is my threat…” he said.

The FCT minister also rejected allegations that the G5’s actions amounted to manipulating the outcome of the 2023 election in Rivers State.

“Did anybody tender any result from Rivers State that, ‘Look, this is the result, we won’? Did anybody? It’s unfair. It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can do,” he said.

He added that political groups often operate with strategies that are not publicly disclosed.

“We have our strategy in this election, and whether you like it or not, it’s not for us to let the cat out of the bag,” Wike said.