Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has tied his continued stay in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet to the President’s performance in the FCT and Rivers State in the 2027 presidential election.
Wike made the declaration in Abuja while addressing members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association, saying he would resign as FCT minister if Tinubu failed to win the two territories.
“If I cannot deliver where I work, then I’m not worthy to be here,” Wike said.
He added: “If I lose FCT, I’m not supposed to be FCT Minister. By January 17, 2027, I will announce my resignation as FCT Minister should the President lose in Rivers State and the FCT.”
Wike’s statement places a personal political deadline on the outcome of two areas with different significance to him. The FCT is where he currently serves as minister, while Rivers is his home state, where he served as governor from 2015 to 2023.
There is, however, a discrepancy in the date cited by Wike. He referred to a January 16 presidential poll, but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s current official schedule places the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections on February 20, 2027. The commission lists the governorship and State House of Assembly elections for March 6.
The declaration also came with a detailed outline of Wike’s political arrangement in the capital.
He said his Rainbow Coalition was being organised across political parties to support candidates at different levels of the election. For the presidency, he openly backed Tinubu, while naming former FCT senator Philip Aduda as his preferred Senate candidate.
“Let us be clear on direction: for the Presidency, it is Bola Ahmed Tinubu! For the Senate, Philip Aduda is a man of the people,” Wike said.
He also disclosed that two former area council chairmen were part of the House of Representatives candidates being supported by the coalition.
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The arrangement is significant because Wike has consistently maintained that he is not an APC member, even while supporting Tinubu’s re-election. His latest comments therefore present the FCT mobilisation as a cross-party electoral arrangement rather than a declaration of APC membership.
The minister’s meeting with the mechanics and traders also carried a policy dimension. He told the group that their relocation to Wasa would be completed by the end of the year. Community representatives, in turn, praised the dualisation of the Apo Road and linked the improved road network to better commercial activity.
Chimezie Efe, chairman of the Apo Trade Association, said members had agreed to support APC candidates, while Chinedu Nweke of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Unity Forum praised the minister’s engagement with the business community.
Wike’s declaration therefore combines three strands: his continued ministerial tenure, Tinubu’s presidential campaign and a grassroots coalition involving different political groups in the FCT.
The minister has now attached a personal consequence to the electoral result. If the President loses the FCT and Rivers State, He says January 17, 2027 will be the day he announces his resignation. The actual election date currently published by INEC, however, is February 20, making the date in Wike’s statement inconsistent with the commission’s official timetable.
Whether the declaration translates into a formal resignation will depend on the eventual election result and his subsequent action. Until then, his statement stands as a public commitment linking his political performance in two territories to his position in the Federal Executive Council.
