The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied claims that he pledged to President Bola Tinubu to “hold down” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 presidential election, describing the allegation as false and politically motivated.

The denial, which was made on Monday, at an end-of-year media briefing, follows comments by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who last week alleged that Wike voluntarily offered to suppress the opposition party to facilitate Tinubu’s re-election. Wike dismissed the claim as “a blatant lie” and suggested that Makinde’s statement reflected frustration and a lack of political discipline.

“Seyi Makinde has never called me Wike. That is the first time I have heard him calling me Wike. It’s unfortunate,” Wike said. “First of all, you ask yourself, what was that meeting? What was the purpose of that meeting? That would have led me to say, Mr President, I will hold PDP down for you. There was no such meeting.”

Wike clarified that he, Makinde, and former governors Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi met the president after the 2023 elections to discuss post-election matters, with the Chief of Staff present.

“I was the one who said, look, Chief of Staff, come and sit down so we can remind the president of what we have discussed. There was nothing like a meeting; we booked to go and see Mr President. So, it is completely out of place for anybody to say that in that meeting I told Mr President that I would hold PDP down for him,” Wike stated.

Wike described Makinde’s allegation as “very, totally unfair”, attributing it to the governor’s frustration and lack of political experience. “Politics is not like being a contractor with Shell. Politics has different rules,” Wike said, emphasising that political ambitions must be pursued within established norms.

The FCT minister also addressed issues of political loyalty and strategic alignment. During engagements in Emohua and Isiokpo Local Government Areas of Rivers State on Tuesday, Wike cautioned that joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) or expressing allegiance to Tinubu does not automatically guarantee political advancement.

He stressed that political relevance must be earned through consistent action and adherence to agreements.
Wike reiterated that loyalty without structure or commitment carries no guarantees and urged politicians to honour commitments.

“If you know you can’t abide by any agreement, don’t go into it. If you know you can’t keep it, you go into it. Anything I will not do, I will say I will not do it,” he said, in remarks widely interpreted as referencing Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, who recently joined the APC.

Last Saturday, during a special Christmas carol event organised by his supporters in Rivers state, the minister also warned against political opportunism surrounding state resources, citing Fubara’s disclosure of N600 billion in Rivers State coffers.

“If you have experience in Nigerian politics, Nigerian politicians like Rivers money. I can tell you that. Go and study it,” he said.

“If you want to make money in Rivers today, I don’t know how you made the mistake of announcing that there is N600 billion. By announcing that, it had made some politicians in other states… I know them.

“They (politicians) will now tell somebody (referring to Fubara) here and say, ‘this Wike, enough is enough; Wike’s time has finished,’ and they will collect (referring to Rivers funds).

“For you to be able to suck that N600 billion, you must say, ‘Wike’s time is over.’ That N600 billion you said opened the whole thing. Everyday they print in one front page and say, ‘they adopt so and so person’, they collect.

“Everybody who comes to Rivers state today must say, ‘the president is happy with you,’ and they collect.”