Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he will not serve as Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign council for the 2027 presidential election.
Wike said his decision was influenced by two major factors: he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress and he does not want to repeat the experience of politicians who headed presidential campaign organisations but failed to deliver their home states.
The minister spoke on Saturday after inspecting the Apo-Karshi Road and Kubwa-Bwari Road projects in Abuja.
His comments came after the Presidency announced the composition of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, with former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, appointed as Director-General.
Wike recalled the experiences of several politicians who previously occupied similar positions but lost their states during presidential elections.
He cited former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who served as the Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaign in 2015.
According to Wike, Amaechi lost Rivers State to the opposition despite his prominent role in the campaign.
He said Amaechi again served as campaign DG in 2019 but was unable to secure his state for Buhari.
Wike also referred to former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who served as the Director-General of Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign in 2019.
He said Saraki campaigned extensively for Atiku but eventually lost both his state and his senatorial seat.
The minister further mentioned former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who headed Atiku’s campaign in 2023 but could not deliver Sokoto State to the presidential candidate.
He also cited former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, who served as Director-General of the APC presidential campaign in 2023 but lost Plateau State during the election.
Wike said he was unwilling to become another example of a campaign director-general who failed to deliver his political base.
He said his priority was to ensure victory for President Tinubu in Rivers State and the FCT rather than occupy a prominent position in the campaign structure.
“I don’t want to lose my state! I will be in my state. I have two states: FCT and Rivers,” he said.
The minister argued that the success of a campaign DG should be measured by electoral results rather than the title attached to the position.
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He questioned the usefulness of occupying the position if the person could not secure victory for the presidential candidate in his own state.
Wike also explained that his absence from the APC campaign council was linked to his political status.
He reiterated that he is not a member of the APC and therefore does not need to join the party’s campaign structure to support Tinubu’s re-election.
The minister recalled that he and other politicians who supported Tinubu during the 2023 election were not members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
Instead, he said they developed their own political strategies to support Tinubu’s emergence as president.
Wike described the arrangement as a “Rainbow Coalition”, involving politicians from different political parties who worked together in their respective states to support Tinubu.
He said the coalition remains relevant ahead of the 2027 election, with political actors operating on different party platforms while working towards the President’s re-election.
According to him, similar political arrangements are already taking shape in states including Kwara, Bayelsa, Rivers, Osun and Benue.
Wike said the political situation in individual states would ultimately determine who emerges victorious in the 2027 elections.
He cautioned against using membership of a presidential campaign council as the sole measure of a politician’s political strength or influence.
The minister also expressed confidence about his political base, saying he was certain about the outcome in Rivers State while the situation in other states remained open.
On the infrastructure projects inspected during his visit, Wike said he was satisfied with the quality and pace of work.
He expressed confidence that the Apo-Karshi and Kubwa-Bwari road projects would be completed before the end of the year.
Wike said the FCT Administration had initially set a target of completing and commissioning 10 major projects before the 2027 general elections.
However, he said the number was now expected to exceed 10 because several other projects had progressed considerably and were likely to be completed ahead of the elections.
He said the administration would continue to focus on delivering infrastructure projects that would improve transportation, connectivity and economic activities across the Federal Capital Territory.
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