Politics
REVEALED: Wike Set To Dump PDP For APC Ahead Of 2027 Elections
Strong indications have emerged that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is preparing to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, has remained one of the most influential figures in national politics since his appointment as FCT Minister by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023. His appointment followed his open support for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, despite being a senior member of the PDP at the time.
Fresh information gathered by POLITICS NIGERIA suggests that his planned move to the APC will not be immediate. It is expected to happen closer to the 2027 elections and will involve a large political realignment across Rivers State and other parts of the country. A close political associate of the minister disclosed that Wike’s defection would come with a massive turnout of loyalists and supporters.
According to him, “and all of his allies within and outside Rivers state will join him in the APC. It will be a carnival kind of event. The event will be big and colourful”. The ally explained that the timing of the defection is strategic. He said Wike intends to wait until the next election season approaches before making his move.
He added that, “Wike’s planned defection will be close to the 2027 general election.” The source further claimed that the ruling APC is positioning itself to attract more influential politicians ahead of 2027 in order to weaken opposition parties.
He said this strategy would ensure that “other political parties will only have weak presidential candidates in 2027 who will not pose any serious challenge to Bola Tinubu”. Speaking further, the ally insisted that Wike’s entire political structure would move with him.
In his words, “the minister will end up in the APC with all of us who are his loyalists both in Rivers state and other parts of the country. But that will not be now. He will delay it till it gets close to the time of the election. By that time, PDP must have been thoroughly weakened and cannot challenge President Tinubu”.
He also spoke on the internal crisis within the PDP and pointed to growing rivalry among its leading figures. According to him, governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State are both interested in the party’s presidential ticket. He said this ambition could further divide the party.
“This is what will bring further crisis to the party because Seyi will not concede the ticket to Bala Mohammed,” he stated. He also claimed that Wike and Makinde have maintained a long political relationship. He alleged that Wike played a role in the release of N50 billion to Oyo State following a fire incident.
He said, “Seyi Makinde has been the minister’s friend for some time now. It was Wike who influenced the payment of the N50billion by the federal government when there was fire incident in Oyo state. That money was not appropriated by the Oyo state government. It was Wike that facilitated the release of the money”.
On the political crisis in Rivers State, the source addressed the impeachment moves against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu. He insisted that the process was no longer under Wike’s control.
“The whole matter is beyond the FCT Minister. The Assembly is determined more than ever before to remove the governor because he has failed in every aspect of the agreement reached,” he said. He recalled a reconciliation meeting held in Port Harcourt last year.
“I was privileged to be in the meeting called by the Minister in Port Harcourt. Fubara was invited and all of us who are allies of the minister were there. We came back together as a political family. That meeting was in September last year. Wike told Fubara to make arrangement for another meeting in October which he agreed but later reneged,” he stated. He added that the breakdown of trust followed Fubara’s failure to meet with lawmakers and address their welfare.
“It was when he refused to do those things he agreed to do like meeting with the leadership of the Assembly and paying their due allowances that Wike decided to embark on the tour of the local government areas to tell Rivers people that they were no more together,” he said. The source also revealed details surrounding the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State last year. He claimed that President Tinubu did not directly inform Wike before taking the decision.
He said, “when the state of emergency was declared in March last year, President Tinubu did not inform Wike. President called (Senator Godswill) Akpabio and informed him. The President ordered the sole administrator (Vice Admiral Etteh Ibas retired) to work with Wike”. He further alleged that the sole administrator settled outstanding issues with lawmakers.
“It was the sole administrator that paid the allowances that were owed the Assembly members. Gave them cars and paid for constituency projects. Sim has not paid them anything. He refused to implement the things he promised he would do for them,” he said. Meanwhile, the FCT Minister has repeatedly praised President Tinubu’s leadership and defended his administration’s policies, fueling speculation of his full alignment with the APC ahead of 2027.
new Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs).
The Governor of Ondo State, His Excellency, Hon Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has approved the appointments of new Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs).
The Governor also approved the appointment of Alhaji Moshood Kewuyemi as the Chief Imam of the Government House Mosque.
The new SSAs include:
Ms. Folashade Ogunoye, SSA Gender
Alhaji Aminu Saidi Tunde, SSA Islamic Religion Affairs
Rev. Tunde Ogunsuyi, SSA Christian Religion Affairs
Kemisola Obamoyegun, SSA Housing
Dr. Oluwatobi Aruwajoye, SSA Primary Health
Alhaja Mohammed Sikirat Idera, SSA Muslim Women Affairs
Mrs Ehuwa Victoria Olufunke, SSA Christian Women Affairs
Alhaja Fauzart Gidado, SSA Women Mobilisation (Central).
And, others.
The appointments take immediate effect.
The Labour Party’s youth leadership has initiated plans to engage the All Progressives Congress (APC) and organisations aligned with President Bola Tinubu over the possibility of cooperation before the 2027 presidential election.
The move followed a virtual meeting attended by the party’s National Youth Leader, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, five zonal youth leaders and representatives of the youth leadership from 32 states.
A statement issued by Edo State Labour Party Youth Leader Ken Omusi and shared on the party’s official X account on Saturday said the meeting took place on Friday. Discussions focused on the party’s political future, its unresolved internal disputes and the need to strengthen youth involvement ahead of the 2027 polls.
The participants reportedly authorised Ahanotu to open discussions with the APC, the Renewed Hope Movement, the City Boy Movement and Tinubu Support Groups regarding possible cooperation ahead of the election.
The statement said several youth leaders complained that they had received little recognition, engagement or support during and after the 2023 general elections, despite campaigning for a presidential candidate they believed lacked the capacity to consolidate the party’s gains.
They said they were seeking a political arrangement and leadership framework capable of expanding youth participation, leadership opportunities, economic empowerment, and representation in national decision-making.
Following the deliberations, the youth leaders directed Ahanotu to immediately begin discussions with relevant representatives of the APC, the Renewed Hope Movement, the City Boy Movement and Tinubu Support Groups to assess the prospects of an alliance or other form of collaboration before 2027.
However, the statement clarified that the initiative had not produced any binding agreement. Any possible partnership would be considered after the consultations are completed.
The group also suggested holding an in-person meeting in Abuja to assess the discussions and decide on its subsequent political course.
The meeting examined several aspects of the Tinubu administration, including human capital development, youth programmes, economic policy, infrastructure, healthcare, education, security, agriculture and workers’ welfare. Participants reportedly offered varying assessments of the government’s policies and their effects.Bola Tinubu news
The City Boy Movement, which was listed among the groups to be contacted, presents itself as a youth-oriented organisation backing Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the APC. According to its official platform, the group concentrates on grassroots mobilisation, youth participation and support for the administration.
The development also unfolds amid Labour Party factional disputes. Ahanotu has been linked to the Julius Abure-led faction, which announced him as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election in May 2026.
In the 2023 presidential election, the Labour Party emerged as a significant opposition force. Its candidate, Peter Obi, placed third with 6,101,533 votes, based on results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The party also captured the Abia governorship and won several National Assembly seats in the same election.
Opposition stakeholders under the G100 alliance are considering cooperation in the event of a run-off in the 2027 presidential election as efforts to persuade former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi to support a single opposition candidate continue.
Sources within the alliance said consultations with the two presidential candidates were ongoing, but the group was examining alternative forms of cooperation should efforts to produce a consensus candidate fail.
Atiku is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while Peter Obi is flying the flag of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
THE G100 had proposed a common presidential platform as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation among opposition parties ahead of the election.
However, sources said neither Atiku nor Obi had, so far, accepted the single-candidate proposal, prompting discussions about how opposition parties could work together under other possible electoral scenarios.
“Both have not shown any kind of inclination or acceptance of the single candidacy at this time. But of course, there are other plans.
“There are other reasons why these G100 opposition leaders need to continue to engage before, during and even after the election.
“The plan may include a possible run-off or other issues that may come up. So, these are the issues. These are why these meetings were convened: to bring Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi back to the table and get their commitment to the ongoing discussion,” a source told The PUNCH.
Another source said the possibility of a second round was being considered as part of the alliance’s contingency planning, adding that Obi and Atiku seems not interested in stepping down.
He said, “The two major opposition leaders, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, seem to be less concerned about the single-candidacy plan of the G100.
“But they still need one another because the G100, from the statistics we are having and the research conducted, there may not be a straight-up easy winner. A winner may not emerge in the first round.
“So, part of the plan now is that if we cannot achieve a single candidate for the opposition leaders, in the case of a run-off, this ongoing discussion will make it quite easy for the opposition parties to queue behind one candidate and work together.”
Section 134 of the Nigerian Constitution states that where no candidate meets the requirements for election as President, a second election may be held between candidates selected in accordance with the constitutional provisions. INEC’s regulations provide for a run-off where no candidate meets the required vote and geographical-spread thresholds.
Confirming that the faction remained committed to the G100 initiative, the National Publicity Secretary of the Tanimu Turaki-led PDP faction, Ini Ememobong, said, “The PDP, led by Tanimu Turaki, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, remains committed to the G100 activities.
“We have resolved that the only way to rescue Nigeria from the maladministration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC is for the opposition parties to come together. So, we are committed to that project, and we are behind it.”
The APM National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, also confirmed the party’s continued participation in the G100 discussions.
However, he said the party’s presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, remained in the race for the presidency.
“Our party was there from the beginning. The conversation is ongoing, and as time goes on, I believe the other stakeholders will make some of the decisions and positions public,” he said.
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