The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Monday dismissed former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s prediction that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would lose the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during his monthly media chat, Wike described El-Rufai’s calculation as “flawed and wrong”, insisting that Tinubu would secure re-election.
“El-Rufai is my friend, but he failed in this mathematics. He goofed; since he knows Tinubu will come third, he should also provide who will be first and second,” Wike said. “I will place a bet if El-Rufai agrees, if Tinubu doesn’t win the 2027 election securely.”
El-Rufai, while speaking recently, had projected that Tinubu would finish third in the 2027 presidential contest—a remark that has since generated heated debate.
On the internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike also hinted that the party’s national convention, scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, this November, may not take place if key disputes remain unresolved.
“The issue of the national convention is not the problem; the problem is the issues leading to the convention,” Wike said. “If they are not well taken care of, there is a likelihood the convention will not hold.”
The Minister clarified that he was not opposed to Ibadan hosting the event, stressing that the real concern was whether the party had addressed lingering grievances ahead of the exercise.
“We have held conventions in different venues before—Port Harcourt, Abuja—so the party can decide to hold it in Sokoto or Borno. But before you get to the convention, have you done what you are supposed to do? If not, it may be a setback,” he added.
Wike disclosed that the PDP had already set up a committee for the South-East and Ebonyi, noting that further meetings were underway to resolve outstanding disputes.
The FCT Minister emphasised that only genuine reconciliation would guarantee the smooth conduct of the party’s convention in November.
