The media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Lere Olayinka, has dismissed claims that his principal betrayed the Peoples Democratic Party by declaring support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Olayinka said Wike never hid his position and had made it public even before the PDP named its presidential candidate.
He spoke during an interview on Arise TV on Friday.
Reacting to Wike being described as “treacherous,” the aide said the label was unfair.
“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,” he said.
“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 added that Wike had also told Onor that while he was free to contest, the PDP’s current condition would make it hard for the party to have a strong showing.
The aide argued that not all 19 presidential candidates expected in 2027 are contesting to win, saying some are only seeking to “register their presence.”
“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.
He cited AAC’s Omoyele Sowore, who polled 14,600 votes in 2023, and questioned how the party could win in 2027.
Olayinka also faulted the structures of NNPP and ADC, noting that NNPP has no governorship candidates in 15 of the 28 states with governorship elections, while ADC has none in 9 states.
“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.
He further said winning elections in Nigeria requires strong grassroots structure, pointing out that the country has 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.
According to Olayinka, this is why Wike believes Tinubu will have an easy victory in 2027.
“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,” he said.