Wellington Jopelo
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has challenged governors and other members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council to prove their commitment to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election by securing victory for him in their respective states.
Wike issued the challenge on Wednesday during the inauguration of the presidential campaign council in Abuja, warning that party leaders should not celebrate a national victory without taking responsibility for the President’s performance in their individual states.
He said the campaign’s success should be measured by the votes delivered for Tinubu rather than the positions occupied by members of the council.
“If you don’t deliver your states and the president wins, don’t say we’ve won,” Wike said, stressing that the collective objective was to secure Tinubu’s re-election, regardless of who served as chairman, secretary or ordinary member of the campaign structure.
The minister also cited Lagos State, telling the President’s Chief of Staff that the campaign could not claim a complete victory if Tinubu failed to win the state.
Wike was appointed coordinator for the President’s campaign in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, two areas where he pledged to mobilise support for the President ahead of the 2027 general election.
“By the grace of God, Rivers and FCT will vote massively for Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he declared.
His remarks came amid debate over the organisation of Tinubu’s re-election campaign and disagreements surrounding Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, which brings together supporters of the President from different political parties.
Although Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he has openly backed Tinubu and accepted a role in the President’s campaign structure. The arrangement has generated questions about how his coalition will operate alongside the APC’s established structures and its candidates contesting other offices.
Wike also praised Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party for attending the inauguration. He described their presence as a sign of the cross-party support being assembled for Tinubu.
Defending the administration’s record, the minister argued that previous governments had identified Nigeria’s challenges without adequately addressing them. He said political opponents should offer constructive criticism and identify areas requiring improvement rather than oppose the government simply because they were outside power.
Wike further asserted his leadership position within the PDP, declaring that there were no competing leaders of the party. His statement underscored the unusual political arrangement in which he continues to belong to the opposition while serving in Tinubu’s cabinet and campaigning for the President’s second term.
The APC has also faced debate over whether support for Tinubu should extend to candidates outside the ruling party. Some party leaders have insisted on backing official APC candidates at every level, while Wike maintains that his coalition can support the President without preventing other parties from fielding candidates in state and legislative contests.
The campaign council’s inauguration marks a further step in the ruling party’s preparations for 2027. Wike’s message places the responsibility for delivering votes directly on campaign coordinators and political leaders, as the APC seeks to organise its nationwide mobilisation ahead of the election.