Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, says his role in the political contest ahead of the 2027 general elections is to keep opposition leaders under pressure and prevent them from becoming comfortable.

Wike made the remarks on Friday while speaking to journalists during an inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja.

The former Rivers State governor said the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had weakened the opposition and made it difficult to identify a formidable leading opposition party.

According to him, the PDP would ordinarily have occupied that position but its internal crisis had affected its strength.

“Ordinarily, it would have been PDP, but because of the crisis we have had, you can’t see a formidable party that you call a leading opposition party,” Wike said.

The minister said he was not concerned about how opposition leaders perceived the political developments, stressing that his priority was to defeat them at the polls.

“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,” he said.

Wike, who remains a member of the PDP despite his continued support for President Bola Tinubu, said political contests should be approached with the objective of defeating opponents decisively.

“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,” he said.

He also dismissed concerns over the reactions of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, to recent political developments.

“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,” Wike stated.

His comments come amid growing political realignments and continued divisions within the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.