The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has explained why he is not part of President Bola Tinubu’s newly constituted Presidential Campaign Council, saying he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike spoke on Saturday while inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Apo-Karshi and Kubwa-Bwari road projects in Abuja.
The minister said his support for Tinubu’s re-election did not require him to occupy an official position in the APC campaign structure, stressing that his priority was to deliver the FCT and Rivers State rather than pursue a campaign title.
“I am not a member of APC. So, the issue of their Presidential Campaign Council is out of the question,” Wike said.
He recalled that several politicians who served as directors-general of presidential campaigns in previous elections eventually lost their home states.
“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,” he said.
Wike also cited the 2019 presidential election, when former Senate President Bukola Saraki served as Director-General of Atiku Abubakar’s campaign, but lost Kwara State and his senatorial seat.
He further recalled that former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who served as Atiku’s campaign DG in 2023, also lost his state to the APC.
“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,” Wike said.
The minister said his political support for Tinubu was being coordinated through what he described as a “Rainbow Coalition”, involving political actors across party lines.
According to him, the coalition is working to secure support for Tinubu across states including Kwara, Bayelsa, Rivers, Osun and Benue.
Wike said the same political strategy was employed in 2023 when he and other members of the G-5 governors opposed the presidential candidate of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and backed Tinubu.
“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,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wike expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Apo-Karshi and Kubwa-Bwari road projects, assuring residents that the projects would be completed before the end of the year.
