Isaac Fayose challenges Wike’s 2027 resignation vow, saying Peter Obi could win Abuja and Rivers if the presidential election is free and fair
Isaac Fayose, a Nigerian businessman and political commentator, has challenged Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike’s pledge to resign if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu loses the FCT and Rivers State in the 2027 presidential election.
Also read: Wike Vows to Resign if Tinubu Loses FCT, Rivers
Fayose made the comments on Thursday in a Facebook post, responding to Wike’s declaration during an engagement with members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja.
Wike said the 2027 presidential election would take place on January 16 and pledged to announce his resignation as FCT minister on January 17 if Tinubu lost both the FCT and Rivers State.
“If I cannot deliver where I work, then I’m not worthy to be here,” Wike said. “If I lose FCT, I’m not supposed to be FCT Minister.”
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, said his position was based on his responsibility to deliver political support for Tinubu in Abuja, where he serves as minister, and in Rivers, his home state.
He also said political groups were working towards a multi-party coalition in the FCT to support Tinubu and other candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
Reacting to the declaration, Fayose said he expected Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, to secure strong support in both territories if the election was conducted freely and fairly.
“Wike, I’m telling you that Abuja is Obi. We won the last time, and this time, we will win more,” Fayose said in his post.
“Rivers State is also Obi. You are not going anywhere. … Wike, Abuja and Rivers are not yours. Look for another job.”
Fayose’s reference to the previous election is accurate in relation to the FCT. Obi won the territory in the 2023 presidential election with 281,717 votes, ahead of Tinubu, who polled 90,902.
The picture was different in Rivers State. INEC’s declared result gave Tinubu 231,591 votes, compared with Obi’s 175,071, while Atiku Abubakar received 88,468 votes.
Tinubu therefore won Rivers in the 2023 presidential election.
Fayose’s argument about Rivers consequently concerns the 2027 contest rather than the result of the previous presidential election.
The exchange comes as politicians and political groups begin positioning themselves more openly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike’s declaration has placed particular attention on the FCT and Rivers because of his political ties to Rivers and his current role in Abuja.
For Wike, the pledge is framed around political accountability and his ability to secure support for Tinubu in the two territories.
Fayose, meanwhile, has used the declaration to argue that the political balance in both areas could shift in 2027.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, with governorship and state assembly elections scheduled for February 6.
Neither Fayose’s assertion about the likely outcome nor Wike’s political expectations can establish the eventual result of the 2027 election.
The outcome will depend on votes cast and officially declared by the electoral authorities.
Also read: Wike Vows to Resign if Tinubu Loses FCT, Rivers
For now, the exchange illustrates the increasingly direct political contest over Abuja and Rivers as the 2027 election approaches, with Wike staking his ministerial future on the outcome and Fayose openly challenging that position.
