Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the leading candidate for the 2027 presidential election, saying the opposition lacks the unity required to defeat the ruling government.
Wike spoke on Thursday in Abuja while addressing journalists after inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects in parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
The minister also took a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his position on fuel subsidy, describing him as a “voodoo economist” and accusing him of changing his position on the policy for political advantage.
Wike recalled that Atiku had said in 2022 that he would remove fuel subsidy if elected president, but was now advocating its restoration.
“For Atiku, who is confused, who acts like a voodoo economist, Atiku will say anything just to be president. This was a man in 2022 who said he was going to remove the fuel subsidy because it was a fraud.
“Now, in 2026, he says he was not going to remove the fuel subsidy. Is he going back to the fraud which he alleged that fuel subsidy was?” Wike questioned.
The FCT minister said the former vice president’s position raised questions about his consistency, arguing that political leaders should not change their positions simply to appeal to voters.
“Leadership is not you coming out, you say one thing now in the morning, in the afternoon you say a different thing, in the night you are talking of a different thing. That is not it,” he said.
Wike also questioned how subsidy could be restored under the current structure of the petroleum industry, particularly with the commercialisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, and the emergence of private refineries.
“Is he going to give fuel subsidy in the Dangote Refinery? The fuel produced by Dangote Refinery, it’s not going to be possible. Tell people the simple truth,” he said.
Rather than promising to restore subsidy, Wike said Atiku should explain how the savings from its removal would be deployed to benefit Nigerians.
“All I thought he would have argued, ‘Yes, I still believe in the removal of fuel subsidy, and I think that the savings made would have been utilised in this way or that way.”
Wike defended Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy, saying the policy had increased revenue available to the three tiers of government.
He said the additional funds had helped governments meet their financial obligations, particularly the payment of workers’ salaries and pensions.
“Nobody talks about non-payment of pension, nobody talks about non-payment of salary. Before, for you to pay salary, you would beg and beg the banks to give you money. But all those things are things of the past.”
On the 2027 presidential contest, Wike rejected the suggestion that Atiku was among the leading candidates, insisting that Tinubu remained the dominant contender.
“I disagree with you that Atiku is one of the leading candidates. You have only one leading candidate, and that’s Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.”
Wike said the opposition was not sufficiently united to mount a serious challenge against the All Progressives Congress, APC, adding that the political opposition was stronger in 2023 than it is now.
“That’s why I say that 2027 is gone. It’s gone because you don’t have an opposition that want to wrestle power from the government,” he said.
The minister also dismissed claims of a rise in armed robbery in Abuja, saying available security reports did not support such an assessment.
“I disagree with you that there are more armed robbery cases,” Wike said, while acknowledging that isolated incidents of crime had occurred.
He said security agencies were responding to such incidents and disclosed that the Department of State Services, DSS, had tracked an individual allegedly impersonating security personnel and using fake materials to harass residents.
“I’m not saying there are no one or two incidents of crime, but to say the armed robbery has increased in Abuja, I don’t agree,” he said.
Wike urged the media and members of the public to exercise caution in reporting security-related developments, saying confirmed incidents would be reflected in security reports.
On the infrastructure projects inspected during the visit, Wike expressed satisfaction with the progress of work and said several major projects were on course for completion before the end of the year.
He also highlighted construction around the Mpape bypass and Garki axis, saying the intervention had helped reclaim land previously affected by a major gully.
“We are satisfied with what we have seen. We’re very impressed that the promises made to our people are being fulfilled. Again, it’s what the whole agenda is all about,” he said.
Wike also declined to take responsibility for complaints about the performance of some Area Council chairmen, saying they were elected by the people and should therefore be held accountable by their constituents.
“They are the people who elected them. They should ask them. I am not their I did not appoint them, they were elected,” he said.
He, however, acknowledged that some councils might have areas requiring greater attention, recalling his own experience as a former council chairman.
