Adeleke Belong To Us, 2027 lEction Will Be Concluded Before It Starts – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, said he is focused on strengthening his political camp ahead of the 2027 general election and making opposition figures uncomfortable.

Wike made the comments on Friday while speaking with journalists in Abuja during an inspection of projects across the Federal Capital Territory.

The minister dismissed the idea that Nigeria currently has a dominant opposition party.

He also rejected claims that Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s recent electoral victory had strengthened the opposition.

Wike said Adeleke remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), despite contesting the Osun governorship election under the Accord Party.

According to him, Adeleke had to seek another platform because of internal problems within the PDP that affected his chances of securing the party’s ticket.

Wike said Adeleke’s recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu and himself was part of efforts to strengthen what he described as a “Rainbow Coalition” supporting the President.

He said: “When you say opposition, I have told you, I don’t know what you call opposition. I say there is no opposition now. Adeleke is only a member of the PDP, but because of the internal wrangling, and for him to secure a ticket to run for a second term, he had to find a platform. And that platform happens to be a good party, but he is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP.

“I am not — I am sorry — all those African Democratic Congress ADC people who are talking about, ‘Oh, they helped Adeleke to win,’ you have seen that they just wanted to harvest what they never planted.

“And what happened last night was a meeting to review the Rainbow Coalition, and he is supporting Mr President. It is a different party. I am supporting Mr President. I am in a different party. So, it is a Rainbow Coalition. I told you that the 2027 election would be the easiest election.

“So, Adeleke is fully supporting Mr President, and so we had to meet last night and encourage ourselves to continue. In the next few weeks, watch what is going to happen. You will see the Rainbow Coalition in this country supporting Mr President.

“So, that was what happened last night. You will see more, and that is why I said this election will be concluded before it starts. So, there is nothing anybody can do. Sorry, Adeleke belongs to us, and we all belong to Mr President.”

The former Rivers State governor said Adeleke was now firmly aligned with Tinubu, despite belonging to a different political party.

Asked whether he was concerned about how opposition figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi viewed his relationship with Adeleke, Wike said he was not interested in keeping his political opponents comfortable.

He said: “I have told you, when you say we are leading opposition, I have told you there is no opposition. What do you have? People who are just trying to see whether they can be relevant. Who is the opposition leader now? Obviously, it would have been PDP, but because of the crisis we have had, you can’t see a formidable party that you will call the leading opposition party.

“So, I don’t care; whatever they feel is not my business. I don’t want them to feel well. It is not my wish that they should feel well. My business is to make them not feel well all day, because they will be having high blood pressure. I guess that is my job — to make them have high blood pressure.

“I am not here to make them do well. No, no, no. You see, when you are having a contest with somebody, your business is not to make him feel well. Your business is to make sure that you beat him thoroughly, and he will be sick all through.

“And that is what we are doing to them. So, we have to be patient. It doesn’t give me a headache. Everybody knows now how they feel. I will add more crises for them. So, that’s my position.”

He said the current political situation was still developing and promised that more political realignments would emerge before the 2027 election.

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