I’m an asset to Tinubu’s victory, will lead APC campaign in Rivers
By Ukpono Ukpong
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has declared himself a critical factor in President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, asserting that he is “an asset” to the President’s political future.
Speaking during a media chat in Abuja, Wike emphasized his value and dismissed detractors questioning his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former Rivers State governor, who openly supported Tinubu in the 2023 elections despite being a PDP member, said he would again deliver results in 2027.
“I’m not a liability. I’m an asset. Whether you agree, you don’t agree, I’m an asset. Whether you want to die, you don’t want to die, I’m an asset.
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“Are you not aware that I will lead the campaign in Rivers State? Oh, you want me to say. Are you not aware that he did not get up to 10% there but he will win here?” he asked rhetorically.
Nyesom Wike openly confirmed that he will lead the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign in Rivers State for the 2027 general elections, despite remaining a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Are you not aware that I will lead the campaign in Rivers State? Oh, you want me to say. Are you not aware that he did not get up to 10% there but he will win here? Of course, is that hidden? Because I have said the South must produce the President.”
Despite his open support for President Tinubu, Wike dismissed speculations that he had abandoned the PDP, stating that he remains a loyal member and would continue to play a role in preventing its collapse.
“If I said something about PDP today, and they are telling me to leave the PDP — you are not the one to leave the party. Let them leave the party,” he retorted.
Responding to concerns about the PDP’s future, Wike said: “Let me tell you, because some people want to kill it. We say it will not die. We’ll make sure it will not die.”
He blamed the crisis in the PDP on party leadership, citing Delta and Akwa Ibom as examples of states the PDP lost due to poor decision-making and impunity.
According to him, the refusal to address internal grievances is what is fueling the exodus and weakening the party’s structure.
Wike stressed that unity and consultation are key for the PDP’s survival and warned that ignoring dissenting voices will only spell doom.
Wike also took a swipe at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, whom he described as a power-hungry politician unworthy of public sympathy.
He ridiculed Amaechi’s recent comments about economic hardship, saying it was laughable for a man who had been in power for over two decades to claim hunger.
“You are hungry. You were Speaker from 1999 to 2007, Governor from 2007 to 2015, and Minister from 2015 to 2023. At what point were you hungry? You’re only hungry for power. That shows failure on your part,” Wike fumed.
He accused Amaechi of trivializing the country’s economic challenges and attempting to mislead Nigerians.
Wike questioned Amaechi’s credibility, citing his failure to deliver votes for his party in previous elections.
“How do you insult Nigerians? You travelise the issue of hunger. You join Atiku, you join El-Rufai because you are hungry.
“He couldn’t produce a successor. He couldn’t give his candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, common 25%,” he said.
Speaking further, dismissed Amaechi’s coalition against Tinubu as a joke, daring them to start from their own homes before dreaming of removing the President.
Wike also slammed the opposition’s language, describing their talk of “removal” as undemocratic.
“You know, we overrate people. He was governor 2015 he couldn’t produce a successor.
“He couldn’t give his candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, common 25%. He was a sitting minister in 2019, no president had ever moved with soldiers the way he came with soldiers. He said he produced the governor. He couldn’t produce a candidate.
“Again, his candidate, Buhari, didn’t get 25% he was the DG of campaign. Again, in 2023 he came. This time around, he said I’m going to support Atiku in PDP. Thank God we did not support PDP. If I supported PDP and they won, he would have taken the glory, but we said okay, we will not support PDP. They failed. They didn’t even get 10%. So, what is his influential?”
“Let this coalition form a team. Let them start from home to start removing the president. When you say you will remove, they should start from their home to remove him. You only use that word ‘remove’ when there’s a coup,” he stated.
While describing the coalition’s actions as a desperate cry for relevance, Wike reiterated his political weight and value.
“You can’t stay out of power. That’s the hunger,” Wike added, reaffirming his commitment to Tinubu and to a united, progressive South.
“No matter, you may not like me, your likeness has nothing to make me… I’m an asset to making sure that Tinubu wins second tenure,” he declared.
He ridiculed Amaechi’s long tenure in government, stating that despite his time as Speaker, Governor, and Minister, Amaechi had little electoral value.
Mocking Amaechi’s 60th birthday remarks, Wike said: “Of all time it’s your 60th birthday that people are celebrating you, you use to tell lies to Nigerians. You are hungry.”
