Wike allegedly moves to block Jonathan, Obi from challenging Tinubu in 2027

Political strategist and Group CEO of Global Investment and Trade Company, Baba Yusuf, has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of deliberately undermining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Friday, Yusuf alleged that Wike’s political maneuvers are designed to keep the PDP in disarray so that it cannot present a strong presidential candidate.

According to him, the ultimate objective is to frustrate the emergence of figures like former President Goodluck Jonathan or former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, both of whom he described as credible contenders.

He said:
“You know, in my opening remarks, and I’ve said it consistently, even in the studio and my writings, it’s what I call the linchpin strategy of Minister Nyesom Wike.

“I’m not mystifying Minister Nyesom Wike but speaking the obvious. The end game for Minister Nyesom Wike is to ensure that the PDP is not stable enough to bring a credible candidate, whether it is His Excellency, Peter Obi or His Excellency, former president Goodluck Jonathan, and to ensure that doesn’t happen.

“All the way, you will see this spoiler game being played by Minister Nyesom Wike. And for the PDP, fortunately or unfortunately, I would rather say unfortunately, you know, like Hausa will say ‘they have slept on their hands and they have allowed the cob to become a lion.’

“They were supposed to ensure four, five years ago, they did not allow the structure to be held the way Nyesom Wike has done.

“So going forward, if you ask me, the two candidates are good candidates, and the assignment of Mr. Nyesom Wike is to ensure that none of them emerges as a PDP candidate, because indeed, either of them will be a very formidable candidate for the APC.

“So that is the political culdesac that the PDP elders allowed themselves to be boxed into. Further down the line, we’ll talk about how you allow politics, I mean funding of political parties to be in the hand of an individual, to the extent that after a while you will not be able to have a voice.”

Yusuf stressed that the crisis within the PDP was largely self-inflicted, pointing to the party’s overreliance on Wike for funding and influence. He warned that unless corrective measures are taken, the opposition party risks heading into the 2027 elections weakened and divided.