You Cannot Rig Election Where You Are Not Popular – Wike Speaks On 2027 Election Strategy

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that there is a fresh strategy in place to counter the opposition parties in the forthcoming 2027 election, but it will not be made public.

Naija News reports that Wike made this known after an inspection tour to Road S1, Kaura District, Collector Road C2, Life Camp, Arterial Road N16, Gwarinpa, the IBB Golf Course, and the Gudu (Jereton Mariere Street) project by Apo Legislative Quarters.

Dismissing claims of rigging during the 2023 presidential election, Wike said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) G5 bloc deployed a calculated strategy during the 2023 poll to deny former Vice President Atiku Abubakar votes from the South-South region.

According to Wike, Atiku, rather than former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, was the real threat to their political interests at the time.

Wike explained that the South-South was traditionally a PDP stronghold, stressing that if the region had voted along party lines, Atiku would have won the 2023 election.

He said, “Our strategy was that, listen, you vote, make sure that you vote for Obi to win, in order to deny Atiku the votes. We have our strategy in this election, and whether you like it or not, it’s not for us to let the cat out of the bag.”

Wike also dismissed insinuations that the strategy amounted to manipulation of the outcome in Rivers State, maintaining that no evidence was ever tendered at the tribunal to support claims that the Labour Party had won the state.

The minister further explained that his threat was not Peter Obi but Atiku, arguing that the perception of the Labour Party candidate’s strength was largely a social media construct.

Wike emphasised that elections are not rigged in places where a politician is unpopular because people will resist it.

He added, “Did anybody tender any result from Rivers State that, ‘Look, this is the result, we won’? Did anybody? It’s unfair. It’s unfortunate there’s nothing we can do.

“When you are strategizing to win an election, you look at a lot of factors: who is my threat? If this is my threat, this is a lesser threat, and I know what to do so as to make sure that the vote of my major threat does not increase. You cannot rig an election where you are not popular. You cannot! If you try that, then you see what happens; people will resist it.”