Wike Never Hid Support For Tinubu, Says Olayinka
Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that the minister acted treacherously by backing President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
Olayinka said Wike had never concealed his support for Tinubu, stressing that the minister had declared his position even before the Peoples Democratic Party presented its presidential candidate, Professor Sunday Oloruntuyi.
He spoke during an interview on Arise TV on Friday.
Reacting to a description of Wike as “treacherous,” Olayinka said the word was inappropriate because the minister had been open about his political position.
He said, “The word ‘treacherous’, I don’t believe he should have used it because, to my own understanding, a treacherous person is somebody who is doing something against you behind you and presenting himself to be your friend.
“The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has never hidden his position. He said it even before PDP presented Professor Sandy Onor as candidate, that he was going to support President Tinubu in 2027. He did not hide it, and up till now, he has not hidden it. He has been saying it.”
Olayinka said Wike had also told Onor that, although he was free to contest the election, the condition of the PDP would make it difficult for the party to make a major impact.
He argued that not everyone who contests an election does so with the expectation of winning, saying some candidates participate mainly to “register their presence”.
According to him, the number of presidential candidates expected in the 2027 election was an indication that not all the candidates were realistically seeking victory.
“For instance, in this 2027 election, we have 19 presidential candidates. Can we say, honestly, that all the 19 are contesting with the mindset of winning? The answer is no,” he said.
Olayinka cited the African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who he said secured 14,600 votes in the 2023 presidential election, questioning how the candidate could win the 2027 poll.
He also questioned the electoral strength of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, claiming that it did not have governorship candidates in 15 of the 28 states where governorship elections would be held in 2027.
“How do you win election when you don’t have people on ground to canvass vote for you, to manage election for you?” he asked.
Olayinka similarly questioned the chances of the African Democratic Congress, saying it did not have governorship candidates in nine of the 28 states.
He argued that parties needed substantial structures and polling-unit agents to compete effectively, noting that Nigeria had 176,846 polling units.
“In Nigeria today, there are 176,846 polling units. To make good impression on election day in election in Nigeria, you need at least five people to manage each polling unit for you, at least,” he said.
The Wike aide maintained that the minister’s position that Tinubu would have an easy victory in 2027 was based on what he described as the weakness of the opposition.
“And that’s why the Minister has been saying consistently that this election of 2027 will be the easiest for the President to win, because there’s no opposition, nobody is contesting against him to win. Others are contesting to make impression,” Olayinka said.
