The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed efforts by opposition politicians to form a coalition ahead of the 2027 general election, insisting that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is well-positioned to benefit from the divisions within rival parties.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike said opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, would struggle to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because of unresolved internal disputes.
According to the minister, political parties that fail to resolve their internal crises cannot expect sympathy from their opponents.
“In politics, it is not my duty to strengthen my opponent,” Wike said.
He argued that exploiting an opponent’s weaknesses is a legitimate political strategy, adding that the APC would naturally hope opposition parties remain divided.
“When the ruling party finds out that you have those kinds of loopholes, what will be their prayer? Their prayer will be, ‘May you not resolve the crisis,'” he said.
Wike blamed the prolonged crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on what he described as selfish interests among some of its leaders, saying the internal wrangling had weakened what should have been Nigeria’s strongest opposition platform.
“PDP ought to be the most formidable opposition party. But because of selfish interests and people who don’t understand that you need to shelve your personal interests and work for the party to be stronger and to challenge the ruling party, the party entered a crisis,” he said.
The former Rivers State governor recalled the PDP’s 2017 leadership crisis, alleging that the then-ruling APC attempted to exploit the situation by imposing a national chairman on the opposition party, a move he said was resisted through the courts.
He also dismissed the prospects of emerging political alliances, arguing that assembling prominent political figures without a strong grassroots structure and internal cohesion would not guarantee electoral success.
“You can assemble all the presidential aspirants you want in one room, but without structure, without unity, and without a track record of performance, you cannot beat an incumbent administration that is delivering results.
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2027 will be decided by achievements, not political noise,” Wike said.
Commenting on criticisms of the Tinubu administration by religious leaders and public commentators, the minister urged them to adopt what he described as a more balanced approach by acknowledging government achievements while pointing out areas requiring improvement.
He specifically referenced comments by John Cardinal Onaiyekan, saying consistent criticism without recognising positive developments could affect the credibility of such interventions.
“As a leader, commend government when they have done well in some areas, and criticise where you think they should look into other areas. But when your comments every day contain nothing positive, government must be worried,” he said.
Wike maintained that while opposition parties remained focused on coalition negotiations and political calculations, the Tinubu administration was concentrating on governance and service delivery.
