Arise Television’s Morning Show anchor, Rufai Oseni, has claimed that Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is strategically positioning himself for a possible presidential bid in 2031.
Oseni made the assertion while analysing the recent disagreement between Wike and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the broadcaster, President Bola Tinubu may be reluctant to allow the disagreement between Wike and the APC governors to escalate because of his political interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Oseni says Tinubu may seek to keep Wike on his side
Oseni argued that Tinubu would likely adopt a cautious approach in dealing with the dispute in order to preserve his relationship with Wike.
“You see, I know this country too well. President Tinubu will never rock the boat. He will just try to give a gloomier response to settle the matter between Wike and the governors because he wants to win an election,” Oseni said.
He suggested that while the President could still address some of the concerns raised by the FCT minister, he would be careful not to completely alienate Wike ahead of the 2027 election.
Wike has publicly maintained that his political mobilisation is focused on supporting Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, while insisting that the PDP remains free to field candidates in other elections.
“The real tussle will be after elections”
Oseni said he believes the more significant political contest involving Wike could emerge after the 2027 elections, particularly around the future of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“But you see, where the real tussle will be is after elections have been won or lost,” he said.
He questioned how Wike would seek to reposition or rebuild the PDP following the internal divisions within the party and his support for a faction during the party’s crisis.
Oseni links Wike’s activities to 2031
The Arise anchor went on to argue that Wike’s current political activities could be part of a longer-term strategy.
“All of this Wike is playing, forget it, he has presidential ambitions. Anyway, he ran in the last election cycle, so all of this is strategically positioning himself for the next eight years when power will come back to the South,” Oseni said.
He added that Wike’s age could give him room to pursue such political calculations in the years ahead.
“And you see, the good thing about the game which he is playing is that age is on his side,” he said.
Oseni’s comments are his political assessment and do not amount to a declaration by Wike that he intends to contest the 2031 presidential election. Wike has instead publicly focused his current political mobilisation on supporting Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
The comments come as tensions continue between Wike and APC governors over his political mobilisation and the so-called Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 elections. The APC governors have raised concerns that political alliances outside the party structure could affect APC candidates, while Wike maintains that his support for Tinubu does not prevent the PDP from contesting other positions.