Wike plays down Tinubu’s 2027 campaign DG role, says: ‘I don’t want to lose my state’

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has explained why he would not have accepted the role of Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, saying his priority is to secure victory in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory rather than pursue a campaign title.

Wike spoke on Saturday while inspecting ongoing rehabilitation and construction works on the Apo-Karshi and Kubwa-Bwari roads in Abuja.

His comments came a day after the Presidency announced the composition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general election and appointed former Zamfara State Governor and serving Senator, Abdulaziz Yari, as Director-General.

Yari has since accepted the appointment, promising to immediately commence work and lead the campaign with discipline, unity and respect for Nigerians.

However, when asked whether he would have preferred to head the campaign council, Wike dismissed the idea, citing previous campaign directors-general who, according to him, lost their states while campaigning for presidential candidates.

The former Rivers State governor recalled that in 2015, then-Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi served as Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaign and subsequently lost Rivers State to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“In 2015, the Minister of Transport was the governor of Rivers State. So, 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,” Wike said.

He further recalled that Amaechi again served as campaign DG in 2019 but lost his state, while former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who headed Atiku Abubakar’s campaign in the same election, also lost his home state of Kwara.

“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!” Wike said.

He also cited former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who served as Atiku’s campaign DG in 2023 and lost Sokoto State, as well as former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, who headed the APC campaign and lost Plateau State in the same election.

“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.

‘I Don’t Want to Lose My State’

Wike said he was unwilling to become another example of a campaign DG losing his political base, stressing that his attention would remain on delivering electoral victories for President Tinubu in Rivers State and the FCT.

“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,” he said.

The FCT minister questioned the value of occupying a prominent campaign position if the individual is unable to deliver his home state.

“If you are DG and you don’t win your state, what is the essence of the DG?” he queried.

Why Wike Won’t Join APC Campaign Council

Wike also pointed to his political status outside the APC as another reason he could not 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,” he said.

He, however, stressed that his decision not to join the APC campaign council would not prevent him from supporting Tinubu’s bid for a second term.

“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,” Wike said.

Wike Backs ‘Rainbow Coalition’

The minister said his support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election would instead be pursued through the cross-party “Rainbow Coalition”, which brings together politicians from different political parties who support the President while retaining their respective party affiliations.

“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.

Wike also argued that political influence should ultimately be measured by electoral performance rather than campaign appointments, saying the outcome of the 2027 election would determine which politicians successfully delivered their respective states.

“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.