Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has emphatically dismissed ongoing speculations regarding former President Goodluck Jonathan's purported plans to re-enter the presidential race ahead of the 2027 general election. During a monthly media parley with journalists in Abuja on Friday, Wike clarified that the elder statesman has not communicated any such intention to him. Addressing questions about reports suggesting that Jonathan was under pressure to contest, Wike firmly stated his unawareness of any such move. He elaborated, “You’re the one telling me here. Jonathan has never told me; he has never called me one day that, ‘look, I’m being pressured to run, what’s your thinking?’ If he calls me and asks me, I will be able to tell him my mind and what I feel.” The FCT Minister labeled these media reports as purely speculative, drawing a parallel to previous unverified news about his own movements.

During the same interaction, Wike also addressed various internal political matters within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including the impending national convention and existing party disputes. He notably distanced himself from the reported endorsement of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), a former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, as the consensus candidate for the position of PDP National Chairman. Wike stated unequivocally, “I don’t know about Tanimu Turaki becoming chairman; maybe he becomes chairman for another faction, it’s not the PDP I know.”

These pronouncements by Minister Wike follow an earlier endorsement by PDP Northern stakeholders, who had publicly declared Turaki as their preferred candidate for the party's top leadership role. The party's elective national convention is reportedly slated for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State. However, Wike expressed significant reservations regarding the legality of the planned convention, indicating a strong likelihood of his non-attendance. He critically questioned the legitimacy of the event, stating, “How do you want me to attend a convention that I know by law that there is no convention?” This stance suggests a potential boycott of the proceedings due to his concerns over their legal standing.