Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed speculation that he is positioning himself to succeed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2031, saying it is too early to determine what the future holds.
Wike spoke on Monday in Abuja after inspecting ongoing projects in the Federal Capital Territory, amid renewed scrutiny of his Rainbow Coalition and speculation about its possible implications beyond the 2027 general elections.
The former Rivers State governor said those speculating about his political future were assuming a position that belonged to God, stressing that the immediate concern should be remaining alive to witness the future.
“People like taking the position of God. First of all, you have to pray that you are alive. You must pray to God to keep you alive till tomorrow. It is when God keeps you alive that you know what to do,” Wike said.
He questioned the basis for linking him to the 2031 presidential race, while noting that there would be nothing inherently wrong with such an ambition if it eventually became a reality.
“How can you be planning 2031 now? Saying that I am positioning myself ahead of the 2031 election is not correct, but assuming it is true, what is wrong?” he asked.
“People are just afraid of their shadows, not me. Let’s pray to be alive first.”
Wike’s comments came against the backdrop of continuing controversy surrounding the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political arrangement he has said is focused on mobilising support for President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The FCT minister has repeatedly maintained that the coalition is not an attempt to undermine the All Progressives Congress (APC), but rather a platform through which politicians from different parties can support Tinubu’s second-term bid.
He has also maintained that his support for Tinubu does not mean the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of which he remains a member, should abandon its candidates in other elections.
Wike said his position was to mobilise support for Tinubu in the presidential election while allowing the PDP to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections in 2027.
Wike’s activities have nevertheless triggered disagreements with some APC governors, who have expressed concerns about the coalition and its potential implications for the ruling party and its candidates in 2027.
During an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, Wike identified Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun as governors he said were opposed to his political activities.
He also said governors in Adamawa, Edo, Kogi, Lagos and Akwa Ibom had no problem with the Rainbow Coalition, while mentioning the Ondo State governor in the same context.
Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressive Governors Forum, has maintained that APC governors are committed to protecting the party and supporting its candidates.
The disagreement has intensified following concerns within the APC over political arrangements that some party officials say could undermine the party or its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike, however, has rejected the suggestion that the Rainbow Coalition is designed to weaken the APC.
He said the coalition was a platform for politicians and groups from different parties who support Tinubu’s re-election, rather than an alternative structure intended to displace existing political parties.
For now, Wike has continued to identify 2027 and Tinubu’s re-election as his immediate political priority, while dismissing speculation about his own presidential ambitions in 2031.
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