By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that a fresh political strategy has been put in place to counter former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress ADCvand presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress NDC, Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking after an inspection tour, which took him to Road S1, Kaura District; Collector Road C2, Life Camp; Arterial Road N16, Gwarinpa; the IBB Golf Course; and, the Gudu (Jereton Mariere Street) project by Apo Legislative Quarters, Wike clarified comments he had earlier made regarding the 2023 presidential election, which has continued to generate reactions.
He explained that the Peoples Democratic Party’s PDP G5 bloc, of which he was a member, had deployed a calculated strategy during the 2023 poll aimed at denying Atiku votes from the South-South region, insisting that the former Vice President, rather than Obi, was the real threat to their political interests at the time. “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, explaining that the South-South was traditionally a PDP stronghold, and had the region voted along party lines, Atiku would have won.
Wike dismissed insinuations that the strategy amounted to manipulation of the outcome in Rivers State, maintaining that no evidence was ever tendered at the tribunal to support claims that the Labour Party had won the 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 there’s nothing we can do,” he said, adding that every political camp, including the G5, operated with a defined strategy during the election. “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.”
The minister further explained that his opposition was not Obi but Atiku, arguing that the perception of Obi’s strength was largely a social media construct rather than a reflection of the actual distribution of votes.
“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. You cannot rig an election where you are not popular. You cannot! If you try that, then you see what happens; people will resist it”, he said.
Turning to the inspection of the projects, Wike said the Kaura district road and bridges would be handed over by December 15, while the Life Camp collector road alongside its link to the old Keffi road, would also be completed and handed over in December.
On the Arterial Road N16 in Gwarinpa, the minister said the contractor had given assurance of completion by the first week of January, despite the tough terrain involved, noting that its completion would transform the entire Gwarinpa area.
On the IBB Golf Course, which was shut down following a crisis among some of its members, Wike said a committee led by the President of the Court of Appeal had since been constituted to address the issues, and that President Bola Tinubu had directed that the facility be reopened given its importance to both the presidency and the diplomatic community.
He disclosed that the project was on course to be ready in time for a scheduled tournament in November. “I am happy if these projects are completed before the election time; it will be a Christmas gift to the residents of Abuja by Mr President,” he said.
On the state of the FCT budget, Wike said implementation was progressing steadily following its assent by the President, disclosing that the 2026 capital budget had recorded no less than 60 per cent performance despite the delay in its release, which he said had earlier stalled payment to contractors.
He, however, deflected questions relating to criticisms from a lawmaker over a loan, urging politicians seeking re-election to justify their records to voters instead of raising such issues. “The issue now is, if you want to run in the election, go and tell people: assuming that I took a loan, what did you do? You did nothing. That means you are not a good legislator, you didn’t do your work,” he said, adding that the people of Abuja had already made their choice by backing Philip Tanimu Aduda for Senate.
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