2027: Wike opens up on feud with Kwara governor

By Ayorinde Oluokun

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike on Thursday opened up on his feud with Kwara governor, AbdulRaman AbdulRazak.

Wike, who spoke during his monthly media chat said the Governor AbdulRazak has been going around, accusing him of planting candidates to contest elections on the platform of the PDP in Kwara State.

The Minister said the accusation followed his support for the senators and House of Reps members who lost APC to tickets in Kwara to contest on the platform of his faction of PDP.

But while justifying his action, Wike said he decided to offer the Kwara lawmakers PDP ticket to prevent them from being poached by the opposition ADC or NDC and subsequently working against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.

The Minister, however, said the Kwara governor told him not to allow any candidate to be fielded on the platform of the PDP in his state or to allow him to produce the candidates.

Wike said “You removed three senators You removed House of Rep members. Strategically, if you try to remove all these people, you have crisis in your hand. Now, these senators you removed, you have no place for them. Therefore, do you prefer them to go to ADC or to go to NDC that will oppose Mr. President?

“Now, instead of you to appreciate us that we never allowed them to go to ADC or NDC, but to Wike faction (of PDP) which is supporting Mr. President, you are now saying that I’m sponsoring candidates in your state.

“You did not give them ticket. They have an option to go to ADC or NDC. Would you have preferred them to go to ADC? If they go to ADC and were given ticket, would they be working for Mr. President?
Certainly not.

“If they go to NDC, would they be working for Mr. President? Certainly not. Now, they come to me, obviously, they would work for Mr. President. Now you are now accusing me that, ‘look, that Wike is planting people all over the state.’

Wike further said some governors have asked him to ensure that the PDP did not produce candidates for elections in their states

But he said those governors failed to support him when he was fighting to gain control of the PDP. “What was their role when I was fighting? What support did you give to us? You didn’t give me any support.

“I fought. I’ve succeeded I went to my state and succeeded, which you were against me. Now you are turning around to come to me that my party should not produce a candidate in your state, and if we produce, you will bring the candidate.

“In essence, there will not be any opposition. Did I reach any agreement that now that I’m going to support Mr. President, PDP will not have any candidate anywhere?.”

The Minister said he has been able to ensure that such problems will not occur in Rivers through his Rainbow Coalition.

“In fact, today in Rivers State, aside from the fact that we will not have crisis, I said, look, if we allow this thing to be APC be on your own, PDP be on your own, we’ll have crisis.

“And I said, look, let everybody come together. All of us are the same political family, but we will use two parties to achieve whatever we want to achieve. Look at their strength, look at their weaknesses. Today, we don’t have crisis,” he said.