The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed satisfaction with his inclusion in President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign team despite not being a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike said the decision to accommodate individuals outside the ruling party showed that Tinubu’s re-election campaign was open to supporters from different political backgrounds.
The minister spoke on Tuesday during his monthly media parley in Abuja, where he explained that the president recognised the contributions non-APC members could make towards his re-election bid.
“So my thinking is that the president said, look, there are those who are not members of our political parties, but have something to offer for his re-election, and it will be proper to accommodate them so that we are able to offer whatever they may call it,” Wike said.
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He described the arrangement as cooperation between APC members and other supporters of the president, despite their different political affiliations.
“Some don’t want to see the word coalition, but if you see that word PBAT slash APC, were the members of the party, and supporters of Mr President working together to achieve one purpose,” he added.
Wike cited Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke as examples of non-APC governors involved in coordinating support for Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
He also identified himself as a coordinator for the president in Rivers State and the FCT, despite not belonging to the ruling party.
“You can see Professor Soludo, Governor of Anambra State, who is the coordinator for Anambra State. You can see Governor Adeleke, who is not a member of APC, but the coordinator for Mr President, and then my humble self, who is not a member of APC, but a strong coordinator for the president in Rivers and the FCT,” he said.
The FCT minister maintained that Tinubu’s re-election effort should extend beyond the APC and involve supporters from across the political spectrum.
“It tells you that it’s not necessarily just APC. Like we are saying that the re-election of Mr President should not just be about the APC,” Wike stated.
He added that he was pleased to be part of the campaign arrangement, which he said reflected support for Tinubu beyond the ruling party.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, has continued to support Tinubu while maintaining his association with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
