The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has challenged political stakeholders supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 to focus on delivering their wards, local government areas and states rather than scrambling for positions in campaign councils.
Wike made the call in Abuja on Saturday after inspecting some ongoing projects in the FCT, stressing that membership of a presidential campaign council did not automatically translate into electoral victory.
According to him, the real measure of a politician’s influence during an election is the ability to mobilise voters and deliver results at the grassroots.
“Every politics is local,” the minister said, urging supporters of the president across party lines to concentrate on grassroots mobilisation and securing votes for Tinubu.
Wike also dismissed the suggestion that politicians who are not members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council would be unable to contribute meaningfully to Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
He cited the experiences of prominent politicians who had previously headed presidential campaign councils but failed to deliver their home states.
The minister recalled that Rotimi Amaechi served as Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaigns in 2015 and 2019 but failed to secure Rivers State.
He also cited Bukola Saraki, who headed Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign in 2019 but lost both Kwara State and his senatorial seat.
Wike said Aminu Tambuwal, who served as Atiku’s campaign Director-General in 2023, also lost Sokoto State, while Simon Lalong, who headed the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the same election, failed to deliver Plateau State.
“If you are DG and you don’t win your state, what is the essence of the DG? If you lose your own state, even if you are DG, you will be ashamed. When you say you won, people will ask: ‘Why didn’t you win in your own state?’ he said.
The Minister said political alliances could operate beyond formal party structures, pointing to the cross-party “Rainbow Coalition” as an example of politicians working together to support Tinubu across different states.
He said the coalition was already working in several states, including Bayelsa, Benue and Kwara, irrespective of formal membership of the APC campaign council.
Wike also referred to the role played by the G-5 governors ahead of the 2023 presidential election, saying political actors could deploy independent structures and strategies to achieve electoral objectives.
“I am not a member of the APC, so I cannot be in the Presidential Campaign Council. We had our own strategies on how the presidency would emerge.
“In the Rainbow Coalition, we don’t need to be members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. We are doing our own work,” he said.
Wike reaffirmed his commitment to securing electoral support for Tinubu in both the FCT and Rivers State, saying he would personally take charge of the campaign efforts in the two territories.
“What is important is: are you able to deliver those two states? Who will be in charge of the Rivers State campaign? Me. Who will be in charge of FCT? Me,” he said.
