Wike’s aide says he told PDP candidate about support for Tinubu
In Nigeria, Lere Olayinka, an aide to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, said that Wike told Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representative Sunday Onor of his intention to support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections. As Premium Times Nigeria reports, Olayinka called Onor the PDP presidential candidate and said that Wike openly explained his position to him.
Wike’s position
According to Olayinka, Wike considers Tinubu his preferred candidate, although he remains a member of the opposition PDP. The minister’s aide said that, in his view, publicly declaring such a position is more honest than acting privately against his own party’s candidate.
Olayinka also claims that neither Onor nor the PDP has publicly condemned Wike’s support for the incumbent president. He urged people to disregard criticism of his principal’s role in Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
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Election forecast
During the Breakfast programme on TVC, Olayinka predicted that Tinubu would win the 2027 election by a wider margin than in 2023. In his view, Wike could have mobilized more support for the PDP if he had not been working with the president.
Political context
According to the publication, Wike supported Tinubu even before being appointed Federal Capital Territory minister in August 2023. In that year’s presidential election, he was part of a group of five PDP governors known as the G-5 or the Integrity Group. The group opposed the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar and demanded the resignation of the party’s then-chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
During the campaign, Wike hosted Tinubu in Rivers State and allowed the All Progressives Congress candidate to hold a rally at Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt. In August 2023, Tinubu appointed Wike to the federal government despite his PDP membership.
