Lere Olayinka, media aide to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, says President Bola Tinubu will have a far easier path to re-election in 2027 than he did in 2023.
Speaking on TVC Breakfast on Monday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain said Tinubu’s political alliances and his record in office have strengthened his position ahead of the next election, as key opposition figures have moved closer to the administration.
“The reason this election of 2027 will be a one-way election is because of the performance of the president in terms of national development and his performance in terms of politics, because this election is going to be the easiest,” Olayinka said. “It will be much easier for the president than the 2023 election. That is a fact that most people are not willing to accept.”
Olayinka pointed to his principal, Wike — who remains a registered PDP member but has continued working with the Tinubu administration — as an example of how the opposition has been weakened. He argued that had Wike not aligned with Tinubu, he might instead have been mobilising support for the PDP ahead of 2027.
“If Wike was not working with the president, probably he would have been galvanizing more support for the PDP. Now he is not. The president has been able to bring him and other people to himself,” he said.
He also cited the risk of a fractured opposition vote, with different politicians potentially backing different parties. “Imagine Alex Otti also pushing Labour Party presidential candidate. Imagine Adeleke pushing Accord Party presidential candidate. Imagine Wike is pushing that of PDP,” he said.
According to Olayinka, Tinubu’s willingness to work across party lines has made both governing and political mobilisation easier for him. “By being open, by bringing people to himself, he has been able to make governance easier. He has also been able to make politics easier for himself,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to acknowledge Wike’s backing of Tinubu, even though the FCT minister has yet to formally leave the PDP.
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