FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he declined to serve as Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign, saying he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and would not put his political standing in Rivers State at risk.
Wike made the remarks on Saturday after inspecting the ongoing construction works on the Apo-Karshi Road and Kubwa-Bwari Road in Abuja.
His comments came shortly after the Presidency announced former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.
According to Wike, political influence should not be measured by the position a person occupies within a campaign structure but by their ability to secure victory in their home state.
“Political relevance is not about the position you hold in a campaign. What matters is your ability to deliver your state. We have seen campaign DGs in the past who went on to lose their own states,” Wike said.
The minister referenced former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who served as Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign but later lost Rivers State.
He also mentioned former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who lost Kwara State and his Senate seat after leading Atiku Abubakar’s 2019 presidential campaign.
Wike further cited former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, noting that both lost their respective states after serving as campaign directors-general during the 2023 elections.
He said he was unwilling to take a similar risk, stressing that his focus was on helping Tinubu secure victory in both the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State.
The FCT minister argued that serving as a campaign Director-General would have little significance if the person could not deliver victory in their own state.
Wike also clarified that the possibility of him heading the APC Presidential Campaign Council did not arise because he is not a member of the ruling party.
“I am not a member of APC. So the issue of their Presidential Campaign Council is out of the question,” he said.
Despite not belonging to the APC, Wike reiterated his support for Tinubu’s bid for a second term, noting that he backed the President during the 2023 election without being part of the APC campaign council.
“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. We had our own strategies on how the President would emerge,” he said.
Wike said his current support for Tinubu’s re-election is being coordinated through what he called a Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political arrangement involving politicians supporting the President in their respective states while remaining members of their existing parties.
According to him, the coalition is already operating in states including Kwara, Bayelsa, Rivers, Osun and Benue.
BACKSTORY:
Nyesom Wike’s comments come amid preparations by political parties and their supporters ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has continued to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid despite not being a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The development follows the Presidency’s announcement of former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.
Wike explained that he could not have taken up the position because he is not an APC member. He also stressed that his priority is ensuring that Tinubu secures victory in Rivers State and the FCT rather than occupying a prominent position within the campaign structure.
The minister pointed to previous campaign directors-general who, despite holding influential positions at the national level, failed to deliver their home states during presidential elections.
Wike said his support for Tinubu would instead be coordinated through a Rainbow Coalition, which he described as a cross-party alliance of politicians supporting the President’s re-election while remaining members of their respective political parties.
The coalition, according to Wike, is already active in states including Rivers, Osun, Kwara, Bayelsa and Benue.
