The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that his priority ahead of the 2027 presidential election is to deliver Rivers State and the FCT to President Bola Tinubu, rather than seek a position in the President’s campaign organisation.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, made the declaration on Saturday while inspecting ongoing road projects in Abuja, including the Apo-Karshi Road and the 14-kilometre dualisation of the Buhari-Kubwa-Satellite Town access road.
The minister said he was not interested in becoming the Director-General of Tinubu’s presidential campaign council, stressing that his political effectiveness should be measured by his ability to secure electoral support for the President in the territories where he has influence.
According to him, he intends to return to Rivers State during the 2027 election to mobilise support for Tinubu while also working to deliver the FCT.
“Every politics is local. If you cannot deliver the President in your state, how will you say you want an election? If you lose your own state, even if you’re DG, you’ll be ashamed.
“What’s important is that you are able to deliver those two states. So, it’s not about being DG. If you’re DG and you don’t win your state, what’s the essence of the DG?
“I don’t want to lose my state. I will be in my state. I have two states: FCT and my state.”
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party despite serving in Tinubu’s administration, said he would not need to belong to the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign council to contribute to the President’s re-election effort.
“We don’t need to be members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. We are doing our own work,” he said.
The minister also dismissed the emphasis often placed on campaign positions, arguing that electoral campaigns should be judged by the impact of government policies and projects on citizens.
“When people have asked me about campaign, I say, ‘What is campaign?’ See the campaign. Campaign is what have you done for the people? What has the government got to show?
“It’s not about promises; it’s about really putting in action that things indeed will have a positive impact in the lives of the people,” he stated.
Wike cited the political experiences of some former campaign directors-general, arguing that holding the position did not necessarily translate into delivering their home states for their presidential candidates.
He mentioned former Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and former Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, among others, as politicians who had served as campaign DGs but could not deliver their respective states to their candidates.
The former Rivers governor further said the “Rainbow Coalition”, a political alliance that supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, would mobilise again for the President ahead of the 2027 poll.
Wike’s declaration comes as political activities and alignments intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with parties and political actors beginning to position themselves for the presidential contest.
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