Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that part of his political responsibility is to keep opposition leaders under constant pressure as the race towards the 2027 general elections intensifies.
According to The Punch, Wike made the remarks on Friday while speaking to journalists during an inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja, where he also questioned the strength of Nigeria’s opposition.
Wike questions strength of opposition
The former Rivers State governor said the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party had weakened what would ordinarily have been the country’s leading opposition platform.
“Who’s the opposition leader now? Ordinarily, it would have been PDP, but because of the crisis we have had, and so you can’t see a formidable party that you call a leading opposition party,” he said.
Wike, who remains a member of the PDP despite serving in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, has continued to clash with several leading figures within the opposition.
‘My job is to give them high blood pressure’
The minister said he had no interest in making political rivals comfortable and would instead continue applying pressure throughout the contest.
“I don’t want them to feel well. It’s not my wish that they should feel well,” Wike said.
“My business is to make them not to feel well all the days. Because they will be having high blood pressure. Yes, that’s my job.”
He added that politics, like any contest, requires participants to weaken their opponents rather than make things easier for them.
“Your business is to make sure you beat him thoroughly. So that he will be sick all through. And that’s what we are doing to them,” he said.
Atiku, Obi reactions do not concern me — Wike
Wike also dismissed concerns about how former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi might feel about recent political developments.
He said their reactions had no bearing on his own political calculations.
“So how Atiku feels, how Obi feels, it does not give any headache,” Wike said.
“If I know how they feel now, I will add more crisis for them.”
PDP crisis remains central to 2027 politics
Wike has remained one of the most influential figures in the internal crisis that has divided the PDP since the build-up to the 2023 presidential election.
His strained relationship with several senior party figures has continued despite his appointment into the Tinubu administration.
With political alignments already shifting ahead of 2027, Wike’s latest comments underline his intention to remain an active force in the contest, even as questions continue over the PDP’s ability to rebuild itself into a formidable opposition platform.
