Politics
Wike: Inside the Power Struggles, Political Realignments, Fractured Opposition Ahead of 2027
In a no-holds-barred media chat in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, laid bare his thoughts on the mounting political tensions in Rivers State, the future of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the controversial state of emergency in his home state, and his deep-seated distrust for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The Rivers Political Quagmire: “Fubara Was Gone”
Wike confirmed long-standing speculations that he sought the removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State amidst the ongoing political crisis in the state. According to Wike, it was President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on March 18, 2025, that saved the embattled governor from being ousted.
“I wanted the outright removal of Governor Fubara. The president, by declaring a state of emergency, saved Fubara,” Wike stated, referencing the controversial federal intervention that suspended the governor, his deputy, and the state legislature, replacing them with a federal administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.).
While acknowledging that the emergency rule was not politically ideal, Wike claimed it was a lesser evil compared to the instability he believed Fubara’s continued stay in office would have caused. “The governor was gone, yes… they should be praising the president every morning,” he said sarcastically.
PDP in Disarray: “Not Ready for 2027”
Wike also used the media chat to lambast the PDP, the party on whose platform he rose to prominence. He declared unequivocally that the party is structurally unprepared to mount any serious challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
“The PDP is not ready for the 2027 election. You don’t just carry a bag to class and say you’re reading. Are you really studying? That’s the state of the PDP,” he said, using a metaphor to underscore what he described as the party’s cosmetic preparations and internal dysfunction.
Wike, a leading voice in the dissident G5 group of PDP governors, warned that the party’s ongoing power tussles and lack of strategic planning have rendered it incapable of reclaiming power, despite mounting dissatisfaction with the APC.
On Atiku: “A Man Who Doesn’t Keep His Word”
The FCT minister didn’t spare former Vice President Atiku Abubakar either. Wike dismissed Atiku’s efforts to lead a new coalition of opposition parties against Tinubu’s administration, labeling the move as self-serving and doomed to fail.
“Atiku and others are only interested in becoming president. No one wants to build the party,” he said, adding that Atiku’s approach is driven by personal ambition rather than institutional strength.
He accused the former PDP presidential candidate of repeating the same mistakes that fractured the party in 2023. “You make the mistake yesterday, repeat it today, and plan to do it again tomorrow—then turn around to say you were rigged out? No, you rigged yourself out,” Wike said.
Addressing the lingering notion that his fallout with Atiku was over the vice-presidential slot in 2023, Wike countered that it was never about being dropped but about Atiku’s lack of credibility and failure to honor agreements.
He recounted a broken promise from the 2019 elections when Atiku, Bukola Saraki, and former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus allegedly pledged to allow him nominate the Attorney General and Minister of Petroleum if the party won.
“When we lost, they constituted the legal team without even informing the person they promised would nominate the Attorney General. That was when I knew Atiku never keeps his word,” Wike said.
A Fractured Opposition on the Brink
Wike’s candid remarks paint a grim picture of Nigeria’s opposition landscape heading into the 2027 general elections. With internal wrangling within the PDP, a failed attempt at unity through coalition talks, and state-level crises in strongholds like Rivers, the opposition appears more fragmented than ever.
At the center of the storm stands Wike—a polarizing but undeniably influential figure—who has once again proven he’s not afraid to rattle the foundations of Nigeria’s political status quo. Whether his tough talk translates into a revitalized opposition or deepens existing divisions remains to be seen. One thing is certain: the road to 2027 promises to be as turbulent as ever.
