The unusual political arrangement between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is creating major electoral dilemmas due to Wike’s selective support for the president over ruling party candidates, a prominent political scientist has warned.
Speaking from 14:48 on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, Jideofor Adibe, Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Nasarawa State University, pointed out that while Wike pledges loyalty to President Tinubu, his political moves actively clash with the interests of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at state levels.
Prof. Adibe noted that Wike, who remains a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has maintained a stance of supporting President Tinubu’s presidential ambition while backing non-APC candidates for state-level positions.
This conflict is particularly evident in Rivers State, where Wike’s key political ally, Representative Kingsley Chinda, is being positioned alongside PDP structures, putting Wike’s camp at direct odds with the official APC candidates in the state.
“What is unique about this is that somebody who obviously says he (Wike) belongs to another party, PDP, that all he wants to do is to deliver the president, but he never promised the president he never promised anyone that he will deliver senators or governors.”
“So in Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda had already been anointed, and he’s a loyalist of Wike, when APC also has its own candidate. So that creates a lot of problems…”
Addressing President Tinubu’s role in navigating the friction between his APC governors and the FCT Minister, Prof. Adibe raised questions about whether the President is intentionally allowing this tension to play out as part of a broader political calculation.
“And I think, you know, people say Tinubu is a master strategist. How are you sure he’s not playing this game? Because we don’t even know sometimes what the politicians do, but I think somehow, something has to give.”