Tinubu extends open ticket to Wike ahead of 2027 polls

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday signalled a potential political realignment by inviting Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) whenever he is ready. Speaking during the commissioning of the Arterial Road N16 and other infrastructure projects in Abuja’s Katampe District, Tinubu praised Wike’s contributions to governance and teased his signature political jingle. “We have somebody—Nyesom Wike—he is not a member of my party (APC), not yet,” Tinubu quipped, prompting laughter from the audience that included Wike himself. “But the day he changes his mind and registers with the progressives, we will welcome him. Because we will enjoy singing ‘as e dey pain dem, e dey sweet us’,” Tinubu added. Wike, a high-profile member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been at the centre of intense political debate since his public support for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election. Despite remaining a PDP member, Wike accepted a ministerial appointment from the APC-led administration in August 2023—a move that deepened divisions within the main opposition party. PDP internal crisis After losing the PDP’s presidential primary in 2022 and refusing to back the party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Wike has aligned himself increasingly with Tinubu. Just last week, Wike declared his readiness to lead Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Rivers State. “I am a key asset. I will lead President Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Rivers State,” Wike stated during a recent media chat. The PDP’s internal wranglings have intensified since its 2023 loss, with Wike emerging as both a controversial and influential figure. On Monday, he reignited tensions by demanding the zoning of the PDP’s presidential ticket to the South for the 2027 elections—a move seen by analysts as positioning himself for greater leverage within or outside the party.