Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has explained that he could not have served as Director General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign because he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and does not want to risk losing Rivers State.
Wike spoke on Saturday after inspecting the ongoing construction of the Apo-Karshi and Kubwa-Bwari roads in Abuja.
His comments came after the Presidency announced the composition of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, naming former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as its Director General.
Asked whether he would have preferred to be part of the council, Wike said his priority was to help Tinubu secure victory in the states where he has political influence rather than occupy a campaign position.
He cited the experiences of previous campaign directors general who, despite leading presidential campaigns, lost their respective states.
“In 2015, the Minister of Transport was the governor of Rivers State. He was the DG of Muhammadu Buhari. Before you knew, I pulled the carpet off his feet. He lost. He didn’t get 25 percent. In 2019, he was Minister of Transport; he became the DG, and he lost his state too. Bukola Saraki was the DG of Atiku campaign in 2019. He was running around doing ‘Atikulated’, I called him, ‘Why are you doing Atikulated? Go home!’ He lost his state! Lost his own seat, too! In 2023, Aminu Tambuwal became DG of Atiku. He lost his state! In the same 2023, Lalong was the DG of APC, the present president. He lost his state!”
Wike said he was unwilling to become another example, stressing that his attention would remain on delivering the FCT and Rivers State for Tinubu.
“I don’t want to lose my state! I will be in my state. I have two states: FCT and Rivers. What is important is that you are able to deliver those two states. So it is not about being DG. If you are DG and you don’t win your state, what is the essence of the DG?” he queried.
The minister also noted that his non-membership of the APC made it impossible for him to head the party’s presidential campaign council.
“I am not a member of APC. So the issue of their Presidential Campaign Council is out of the question. When we were fighting for the President to be president in 2023, we were not members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, but we were fighting. So, we had our own strategies on how the president would emerge,” he said.
Wike said his support for Tinubu’s re-election would instead be pursued through the “Rainbow Coalition”, a cross-party political arrangement involving politicians working to support the President in their respective states while retaining membership of their parties.
He said the coalition was already operating in states including Kwara, Bayelsa, Rivers, Osun and Benue.
“Mind you, when we formed the Rainbow Coalition, so many parties were coming together, working together in some states to make sure that the President wins,” he said.
The minister maintained that political strength should be measured by electoral results rather than positions held in campaign structures.
“Nobody should use that as a yardstick to judge who will be the governor of any state. I think there is only one state that is clear that will produce a governor. It is my state. It is very clear. The other ones, we don’t know what will happen,” he said.
On the road projects inspected, Wike expressed satisfaction with the quality of work, saying both projects would be completed before the end of the year.
He added that his initial plan to complete 10 major projects before the 2027 general elections could be exceeded, with more than 10 projects now expected to be completed ahead of the polls.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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