FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has vowed to resign from office if President Bola Tinubu loses the 2027 presidential election in the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State.
Wike made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja while addressing members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association over their planned relocation to Wasa.
He said he would announce his resignation on Jan. 17, 2027, if Tinubu fails to win in both territories.
“The presidential election is on January 16, 2027. By January 17, 2027, I will announce my resignation as FCT minister should the president lose in Rivers and the FCT,” Wike said.
The minister said his decision was based on his belief that losing either the FCT, where he works, or Rivers, his home state, would amount to a failure of his political responsibility.
“If I lose FCT, I have no business being the minister,” he said.
Wike also used the meeting to mobilize support for his cross-party Rainbow Coalition, which he has described as a platform for supporters of Tinubu from different political parties. He has previously said the coalition is focused on Tinubu’s re-election while political parties remain free to contest other elections.
He urged members of the PDP and other political parties, as well as FCT residents, to support the coalition’s political agenda.
“For the presidency, it is Bola Tinubu! For the Senate, Philip Aduda,” Wike said.
He asked the Apo mechanics and traders to mobilize residents, their families and other people connected to the business community ahead of the 2027 election.
Wike also assured the traders that the government would relocate them to Wasa by the end of the year.
The Apo trading community praised the minister for infrastructure projects in the area and pledged support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Chief Chimezie Efe, Chairman of the Apo Trades Association, cited the newly dualised Apo Road as one of the projects that had improved access to the market and business activities.
“The road is so useful to us. It made our customers come close to us. In fact, since the road was built, our business has been moving well,” Efe said.
He pledged the association’s support for the All Progressives Congress, APC, during the 2027 elections.
Mr Chinedu Nweke, Coordinating Chairman of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Unity Forum, also praised the minister for the road project and progress on the planned relocation to Wasa.
The Rainbow Coalition has faced opposition from some APC governors, who have questioned the arrangement because Wike remains a member of the PDP while supporting Tinubu’s re-election.
NAN
