An APC foundation member, Osita Okechukwu, has urged President Bola Tinubu to maintain his political alliance with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Okechukwu made the call on Sunday while reacting to moves by some APC governors to distance Tinubu from Wike. He said the relationship between the President and the FCT minister could be useful to the APC as it prepares for the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, Wike played an important role in Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election, and his political network could again help the President in the next election.
The APC chieftain argued that the political realignment involving Wike had already reduced the influence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar across the country. He also described the ADC presidential candidate as a placeholder who, in his view, does not currently pose a major threat to Tinubu.
Okechukwu said Wike could secure more votes for Tinubu in 2027 than some APC governors who are currently unhappy with the minister’s relationship with the President.
He also warned the governors who are opposing the alliance to consider their own actions during previous APC governorship and legislative primaries.
He said disputes arising from the conduct of some of the party’s primaries could affect the political fortunes of those involved, as voters may remember how the exercises were handled in their respective states.
Okechukwu also pointed to the three-week gap between the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027, and the governorship election fixed for February 6, 2027.
He said the period would give voters an opportunity to assess the performance of the federal and state governments before choosing their preferred candidates in the governorship contests.
The APC chieftain noted that state governments had received increased financial allocations and said voters would be interested in seeing how the additional resources had been used.
He said the 2027 elections could therefore become a test of the performance of political leaders at both the federal and state levels.
According to him, voters would have the chance to decide whether leaders had used the resources available to them to improve living conditions and provide better services for the people.
Okechukwu maintained that the political value of Wike’s alliance with Tinubu should not be ignored as the APC prepares for the 2027 elections.