The Federal Capital Territory chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to honour his promise to resign if President Bola Tinubu fails to win the FCT and Rivers State in the 2027 presidential election.
Wike made the pledge on September 30 during an engagement with members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja. He said he would declare his resignation on January 17, 2027, should Tinubu lose both territories.
“If I cannot deliver where I work, then I’m not worthy to be here,” Wike said.
Reacting to the statement, NDC FCT Publicity Secretary Prince Samuel Iloh described it as political posturing and advised Wike to begin preparing for the possibility of leaving office. Iloh said the minister could not dictate the voting decisions of FCT residents, stressing that Wike himself would cast only one ballot in the presidential election.
“If not that he is taking Nigeria as a banana republic, how could a politician be making such a claim when he has only one vote to cast for the President in Rivers and not even in the FCT?” Iloh asked.
The NDC spokesman further accused Wike of relying on what he called an “election rigging mechanism,” but did not present evidence to support the claim. He maintained that voters in the territory would defend their ballots.
2023 Results a Counterargument
To support its argument, the party cited the 2023 presidential election, in which Labour Party candidate Peter Obi won the FCT with 281,717 votes. Tinubu, who contested on the APC platform, secured 90,902 votes, while Atiku Abubakar received 74,194 and Rabiu Kwankwaso polled 4,517. The 2023 figures, however, reflect a previous election and cannot by themselves predict the result of the 2027 contest.
Iloh also argued that Wike’s position in the federal cabinet would not necessarily persuade FCT voters to change their political choices. The NDC urged residents of the territory to participate in the January 16, 2027 presidential election and vote for Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
It also appealed for support for its legislative candidates, including Barrister Amanda Pam for the Senate and Hassan Grema and Adamu Kamal for the House of Representatives.
Wike has meanwhile said he is assembling a multi-party coalition in the FCT to back Tinubu and other candidates associated with the political alliance.
