The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to remove him from office if he fails to secure electoral support for the President in the FCT and Rivers State during the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the declaration while speaking about his political activities ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that his performance should be judged by his ability to deliver the nation’s capital and his home state for Tinubu.
The minister described himself as a “practical person”, saying he would not consider himself qualified to remain in office if he failed to deliver the FCT politically.
“If I cannot deliver the capital territory then I am not worthy to be here, it would mean that whatever I have been doing here, the people do not think I am doing anything and I do not qualify to be in the position,” Wike said.
He extended the same position to Rivers State, where he served as governor for eight years before becoming a minister in Tinubu’s administration.
“I am a practical person, if I lose the FCT, I am not supposed to be the FCT Minister, if I cannot win my state, so what am I shouting about? So I am not qualified to be FCT Minister also,” he said.
Wike then directly challenged Tinubu to act on his declaration if he fails to deliver the two territories for the President in the 2027 elections.
“Tell the President I have said so, ‘If I do not deliver, remove me from the position,’” the minister said.
The declaration comes amid political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections and Wike’s continued support for Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
However, Wike has also clarified that his support for Tinubu’s presidential re-election does not automatically translate into support for other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates contesting governorship and legislative elections.
Earlier, Wike, through a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said he never promised that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections in 2027.
The minister said his position remained that he would mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election, while political parties and politicians remained free to contest elections in their respective states.
According to Wike, supporting Tinubu for the presidency should not be interpreted as an agreement requiring political parties to abandon their candidates in other electoral contests.
He also dismissed suggestions that the “Rainbow Coalition” being promoted in support of Tinubu was an APC arrangement.
Wike’s comments underline his stated intention to support Tinubu’s presidential bid while maintaining that the 2027 governorship and legislative contests should remain open to political parties and candidates.