By: Tunji Okunlola
Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has rejected claims that the minister acted treacherously by backing President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
Olayinka said Wike had openly declared his support for Tinubu long before the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) produced its presidential candidate, insisting that there was nothing secretive about the minister’s position.
Speaking on Arise TV on Friday, Olayinka faulted the description of Wike as “treacherous,” arguing that the term applied to someone who secretly acts against another person while pretending to be a friend.
“The word ‘treacherous’, I don’t believe he should have used it because, to my own understanding, a treacherous person is somebody who is doing something against you behind you and presenting himself to be your friend,” he said.
According to him, Wike had consistently made his political position known and had never hidden his intention to support Tinubu in the 2027 election.
“The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has never hidden his position. He said it even before PDP presented [its candidate], that he was going to support President Tinubu in 2027. He did not hide it, and up till now, he has not hidden it. He has been saying it.”
Olayinka further disclosed that Wike had personally told the PDP presidential candidate that he was free to contest the 2027 election but warned that the party, in its current state, would struggle to mount a serious challenge.
He argued that not all presidential candidates necessarily enter the race with the expectation of winning, saying some may simply be seeking to make an impact or “register their presence.”
Olayinka pointed to the number of presidential candidates expected to contest the 2027 election as evidence of what he described as the disparity between participation and genuine electoral competitiveness.
“For instance, in this 2027 election, we have 19 presidential candidates. Can we say, honestly, that all the 19 are contesting with the mindset of winning? The answer is no,” he said.
He cited African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who he said secured 14,600 votes in the 2023 presidential election, and questioned whether such a candidate could realistically expect to win the 2027 contest.
Olayinka also questioned the electoral strength of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), claiming that the party lacked governorship candidates in 15 of the 28 states where governorship elections are scheduled for 2027.
“How do you win election when you don’t have people on ground to canvass vote for you, to manage election for you?” he asked.
On the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Olayinka said the party was similarly lacking in grassroots structures, claiming that it had no governorship candidates in nine of the 28 states.
He stressed that winning elections in Nigeria requires a strong grassroots network and sufficient personnel at polling units, noting that the country has 176,846 polling units.
“In Nigeria today, there are 176,846 polling units. To make good impression on election day in election in Nigeria, you need at least five people to manage each polling unit for you, at least,” he said.
Olayinka said Wike’s repeated prediction that Tinubu would have an easy victory in 2027 was based on what he described as the weakness of the opposition parties.
“And that’s why the Minister has been saying consistently that this election of 2027 will be the easiest for the President to win, because there’s no opposition, nobody is contesting against him to win. Others are contesting to make impression,” he said.