The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has offered perhaps his clearest explanation yet for his relentless campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election: he believes a defeat could make him a prime target of the opposition. Speaking on Wednesday, during a media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Mr Wike said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi would “come for my head” if Mr Tinubu loses the 2027 presidential election.
“If anything happens, and Mr President fails today, I will be the first politician that Atiku, Obi will hunt for his head. I will be the first politician. I challenge anybody. So, I won’t make that mistake, to be sleeping to see the president lose the election. No.” The statement captures the unusually personal dimension of Mr Wike’s political investment in Mr Tinubu’s re-election.
Mr Wike’s assertion raises a central political question: why does he believe Atiku and Obi would “come for his head” if Mr Tinubu loses? The phrase suggests that the minister sees his current political choices as carrying consequences beyond an ordinary electoral defeat. It also portrays his support for Mr Tinubu almost as an “offence” for which he could be “punished” if the opposition takes power.
That perception may be rooted in his bitter political history with Mr Atiku. Mr Wike opposed Mr Atiku during the 2022 PDP presidential primary and subsequently led the G5 governors who refused to support the party’s presidential candidate in 2023. He has since remained openly aligned with Mr Tinubu. His own rhetoric has also reinforced the sense of a personal political contest.
“You want me to fold my hands for Atiku Abubakar to come and win the election?” he asked.