The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said he is not concerned about the discomfort his political activities may cause opposition leaders ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the remark on Friday while speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing projects in Abuja.
The former Rivers State governor was responding to questions about the current state of the opposition and the reactions of prominent politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to recent political developments.
According to Wike, the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party has weakened its position as a leading opposition force, making it difficult to identify a single formidable opposition party ahead of the 2027 election.
He said, “I’ve told you there is no position. What do you have people who are not trying to see whether they can be relevant? Who’s the opposition leader now? Ordinarily, it would have been PDP, but because of the crisis we have had, and so you can’t see a formidable party that you call a leading opposition party.”
Wike said he was not interested in how opposition politicians felt about the political developments, adding that his priority was to ensure that his political opponents remained under pressure.
“So, whatever they feel, it’s none of my business. I don’t want them to feel well. It’s not my wish that they should feel well,” he said.
“My business is to make them not to feel well all the days. Because they will be having high blood pressure. Yes, that’s my job.”
Explaining his position, the minister compared politics to a contest in which opponents should not be expected to make things easy for one another.
“To make them to have high blood pressure. I am not here to make them to feel good, no. You see, when you are having a contest with somebody, your business is not to make him feel well.
“Your business is to make sure you beat him thoroughly. So that he will be sick all through. And that’s what we are doing to them.”
Wike also dismissed concerns about the reactions of Atiku and Obi to his recent political engagements, saying their feelings would not influence his actions.
“So how Atiku feels, how Obi feels, it does not give any headache. If I know how they feel now, I will add more crisis for them,” he said.
The minister’s comments come amid renewed political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 elections and continued uncertainty over the shape of the opposition.
Wike, a member of the PDP, has remained at the centre of the party’s internal crisis and has maintained political differences with several prominent opposition figures.
Earlier during the project inspection, the minister also spoke about the rehabilitation of the IBB International Golf Club in Abuja.
He said the facility was undergoing renovation following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention and was expected to be physically completed by November, with reopening scheduled for December.
Wike said the rehabilitation was important partly because members of the diplomatic community had complained about the prolonged closure of the facility.
He explained that Julius Berger was brought back for the renovation because the company originally constructed the golf course and was familiar with its design and standards.
The minister, however, said the government would not continue funding the facility after its reopening, stressing that its management would have to generate enough revenue to cover its operations and maintenance.