2027: Isaac Fayose Challenges Wike Over Tinubu’s Chances in Abuja

Social commentator and businessman, Isaac Fayose, has disagreed with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the political strength of the opposition in Abuja ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Fayose, who spoke during an appearance on News Central TV on Tuesday, claimed that the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, would win the Federal Capital Territory in the 2027 election.

His comment followed Wike’s recent assertion that the opposition lacks sufficient popularity in Abuja and that President Bola Tinubu would win the FCT and Rivers State in the next presidential election.

Fayose challenged Wike’s position, declaring that Abuja belongs to the NDC and Obi.

“Abuja is NDC, Abuja is Peter Obi,” he said.

The businessman further alleged that the ruling party could attempt to manipulate the outcome of the election, but said the NDC had put measures in place to prevent any attempt to interfere with the electoral process.

Fayose said the major concern for the opposition was identifying possible methods through which voters could be suppressed during the election.

“People are ready to vote. All we are scared of now is what angle are they going to suppress us from this time? This is the only area we are trying to fine-tune,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to engage directly with voters and ascertain their preferences ahead of the election, arguing that opinion polling and other forms of voter sentiment assessment could provide a clearer picture of political preferences.

Fayose also cited the practice of conducting mock elections in some countries, saying Nigeria should adopt similar approaches to better understand voters’ choices before election day.

Obi won the FCT in the 2023 presidential election as the candidate of the Labour Party, securing 281,717 votes, ahead of Tinubu, who polled 90,902 votes, according to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

However, the 2027 election remains undecided, and the positions expressed by Fayose and Wike are political claims made ahead of the poll. The eventual outcome will be determined by voters and the official results declared by INEC after the election.