The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has firmly refuted claims linking him to the alleged campaign urging former President Goodluck Jonathan to return to the 2027 presidential race.
Speaking during a media parley with journalists aired on TVC on Friday, Wike dismissed the reports as mere speculation, insisting that Jonathan has never discussed any political comeback with him.
“Jonathan has never told me. He has never called me one day to say, ‘Look, I’m being pressured to run,’” Wike said. “If he calls me and asks me, I’ll be able to tell him my mind, what I feel.”
The minister urged Nigerians to be cautious about unverified media reports, pointing out that several false claims have previously been circulated about him.
“I will not assume something is correct just because it appears on the page of a newspaper,” he stated.
According to a recent report by The PUNCH, some stakeholders have been mounting pressure on Jonathan to drop any presidential ambition and instead back the re-election bid of the current administration in 2027. The speculation has sparked heated debates within the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and beyond.Wike also distanced himself from reports that former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, had been appointed chairman of the PDP.
“I don’t know about Tanimu Turaki becoming chairman. Maybe he’s becoming chairman for another faction. It’s not the PDP I know,” he remarked.
The former Rivers State governor criticised what he described as exclusionary politics within the PDP, accusing some governors and party leaders of sidelining critical stakeholders.
“Have I not said before now that the booby trap you are setting will consume you? The way these present governors are doing, they will bury this party,” he warned.
Wike, who governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023 before assuming his ministerial post, maintained that his continued relevance in the PDP should not be overlooked.
“Are you telling me that because I’m not a governor, you’ll hold PDP meetings, call them stakeholders, and then exclude me—and you want to survive? Certainly not,” he added.
Despite no longer holding a gubernatorial position, Wike remains one of the most influential voices in the PDP, known for his blunt criticisms and defence of what he calls “party fairness and inclusion.”
