2027: Wike’s call for PDP to back Tinubu politically suicidal — Ex-Nasarawa AG

Former Nasarawa State Attorney General and Justice, Yusuf Shehu Usman, has expressed skepticism regarding the recent directive from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, urging members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to back President Bola Tinubu's administration in the 2027 presidential election. Usman contended that such a move by the opposition party could be politically perilous, questioning the potential gains the PDP would reap from supporting the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) while facing competition from the same party in state-level elections.

Wike, who continues to be a notable figure within the PDP and supports the Tinubu-led administration, reportedly implored party members to vote for the President and the APC in the upcoming presidential election. In response to this announcement, Usman probed the political logic behind the proposal, questioning whether APC members would reciprocate by supporting PDP candidates in future state-level contests.

"Will the APC cast their votes for the candidates of the PDP in the state elections? If they do not, what is the advantage for the PDP in this peculiar and politically detrimental arrangement?" he inquired. Usman argued that an arrangement whereby PDP members voted for the APC at the presidential level without a reciprocal commitment from the ruling party could potentially undermine the opposition's interests.

He dismissed the proposed strategy as improbable, stating that it would not yield substantial benefits to the PDP. "At best, it is a bizarre concept which will not yield any results," Usman asserted.