Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike explained that he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress and did not want to risk losing his state, which is why he could not serve as Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.
Speaking on Saturday following an inspection of the Apo-Karshi and Kubwa-Bwari road projects in Abuja, Wike addressed the matter a day after the Presidency announced the composition of the campaign council and named former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as its Director-General.
When asked if he would have preferred the leadership role, Wike pointed to historical precedents of past campaign director-generals who lost their home states while managing presidential campaigns.
According to Vanguard, Wike said, “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!”
The minister explained that Wike stated that delivering the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State was more important to him than holding a campaign position and that he was not ready to join the list.
‘I am not a member of APC’
Wike insisted that he would continue to back Tinubu’s reelection while citing his lack of APC membership as another reason he was unable to lead the council.
Additionally, Wike stated that the performance of various states would be evident following the 2027 elections, arguing that electoral outcomes should be used to determine political relevance rather than campaign titles.
“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.
Backstory…
As background context, the Presidency announced on Saturday that Abdulaziz Yari, a serving senator and former governor of Zamfara State, will serve as Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.
Upon accepting the appointment, Yari pledged to commence work immediately and to lead the campaign with discipline, unity, and respect for the Nigerian public.
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