“We Are Winning Abuja and Rivers” — Fayose Fires Back at Wike
Businessman and political commentator Isaac Fayose has responded to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, after the minister pledged to resign if President Bola Tinubu loses the FCT and Rivers State in the 2027 presidential election.
Wike made the declaration on Wednesday while speaking with leaders and members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja, where he said he would submit his resignation if Tinubu failed to win the two territories.
The minister said the FCT was where he currently worked, while Rivers State was his home state, making the two areas particularly significant to him ahead of the election.
Fayose, reacting in a Facebook post on Thursday, disputed Wike’s confidence and claimed that Peter Obi would defeat Tinubu in both territories if the election was conducted freely and fairly.
He referred to the 2023 presidential election, when Obi secured the highest number of votes in the FCT, and said he expected the former Anambra State governor to perform even better there in 2027.
“Wike, I’m telling you that Abuja is Obi. We won the last time, and this time, we will win more,” Fayose said.
He went further to claim that the All Progressives Congress would not secure 25 per cent of the vote in Abuja.
Fayose also insisted that Rivers State would support Obi, directly challenging Wike’s stated intention of delivering the state for Tinubu.
“Rivers State is also Obi. You are not going anywhere,” he said.
The political commentator criticised President Tinubu and called for a change of government, arguing that the country needed a different political direction.
He also dismissed suggestions that threats of electoral manipulation should intimidate opposition supporters, saying the outcome would be visible if attempts were made to interfere with the process.
“When they try to rig, we will all see. But if it’s free and fair, they can’t get 21 per cent,” Fayose said.
Fayose further accused some supporters of the administration of seeking to keep Tinubu in office for their own benefit.
“It is time to take our country back,” he said.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, has remained an important supporter of Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election and has been involved in efforts to mobilise political support for the President in the FCT and Rivers.
His resignation pledge has consequently drawn attention to the political contest expected in the two territories, particularly Rivers State, where Wike previously served as governor.
The exchange between the minister and Fayose comes as political actors across the country intensify their preparations and public positioning ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
