‘I don’t want to lose FCT, Rivers’ – Wike opens up on why he won’t serve on Tinubu’s campaign council

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he would not accept an appointment to head or serve on the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council.

Wike said he had no interest in such positions, noting that several politicians who previously served as campaign directors-general later suffered embarrassing defeats in their home states.

The former Rivers State governor spoke on Saturday during an interactive session with journalists after inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja.

He also dismissed speculation that his exclusion from the APC’s formal campaign structures was a setback, arguing that genuine political influence comes from having strong grassroots support in one’s home state rather than holding positions in national campaign committees.

Wike anchored his stance on a historical trend dating back to the 2015 general elections, pointing out that successive campaign directors-general across Nigeria’s major political parties have systematically failed to deliver their home states while managing national operations.

He recalled that in 2015, former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, served as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation that brought former President Muhammadu Buhari to power.

However, despite coordinating the national victory, Amaechi failed to secure 25 per cent of the presidential votes in his home state of Rivers.

The Minister added that the pattern repeated itself in 2019, when Amaechi was reappointed to lead the campaign, only to lose Rivers State again.

Wike also cited former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who served as Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council for Atiku Abubakar in 2019.

Saraki not only failed to deliver Kwara State for Atiku but also lost his own senatorial seat, Wike said.

Extending the historical precedent to the 2023 elections, Wike highlighted the fate of former Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, who served as the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for Bola Tinubu, as well as the former Director-General of the Labour Party Campaign Council, Doyin Okupe.

The minister vowed to ensure victory for Tinubu come 2027 in FCT and Rivers State.

“Let me tell you, in 2023, when I was a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, I was not listed,” Wike said.

He said, “But did I support President Tinubu? Yes! People don’t understand why I cannot—it’s not that one is not qualified. Who is more qualified than me? But let me tell you the history of why I would not want to be; even if President Tinubu calls me today to say, ‘I want you to be,’ I will say no. He will say, ‘Why?’ I’ll say, ‘Let me tell you the history.’”

He elaborated, “In 2015, the Minister of Transport, who was the governor of Rivers State, was the DG of Muhammadu Buhari. Before you know it, he put the campaign office… he lost. He didn’t get to 25 per cent. In 2019, he was Minister of Transport; he became the DG; he lost his state, too. Bukola Saraki was the DG of Atiku Abubakar in 2019. He was running around doing ‘Atikulate.’ I called him, ‘What are you doing in Atikulate? Go home.’ He lost his state, lost his own seat, too.

“In 2023, Governor Lalong was the DG of the presidential… He lost his state. In the same 2023, the Labour one was the DG… He lost his state,” Wike argued. “I don’t want to lose my state! I will be in my state. I have two states: FCT and Rivers State. What is important is whether you can deliver those two states. So it’s not about being DG. If you are DG and you don’t win your state, what is the essence of the DG?”

The Minister stressed that his primary political obligation remains delivering solid electoral victories for President Tinubu in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, arguing that national titles are meaningless without grassroots backing.

“Everything matters about the state; it’s not about being a member of the Campaign Council,” he asserted.

Wike said, “Every politics is local. If you cannot deliver the President in your state, so how will you say you won an election? If you lose your own state, even if you are DG, you’ll be ashamed. When you say you won, they’ll say, ‘You won what? Why didn’t you win in your own state?’ So for me, those things don’t matter. Anybody who knows that he has value to contribute doesn’t need to put yourself…”

Explaining the operational dynamics of the Coalition that brought President Tinubu into office in 2023, Wike clarified that non-APC members can effectively drive the President’s victory through strategic cross-party alliances without formal integration into the ruling party’s internal organs.

“Now, you talk about Rivers. I’m not an APC member. So, the issue of… they have set up their Campaign Council. When we were fighting for President Tinubu in 2023, we were not members of APC Presidential Campaign Council. We were G5! So, we had our own strategy on how the President would emerge,” Wike noted.

The minister said, “Mind you, when we were in Rainbow Coalition, so many parties were coming together, working together in some states to make sure the President wins. If you watched Channels TV or TVC yesterday, when they were interviewing the Senator representing Kwara Central, Salihu Mustapha, he said, ‘Look, he has taken the ticket under PDP, but those of us in his faction are supporting President Tinubu.’ So there’s a Rainbow Coalition in so many states. People don’t understand it.

“He will not be a member of the APC Campaign Council, but he’s going to work for President Tinubu to win. However, he will work for PDP to win in the senatorial election he is contesting under PDP. These are the kinds of things that we are talking about, about Rainbow Coalition. It’s taking place in most of the states: in Akwa Ibom, in Bayelsa, in so many, even in Benue,” he explained.

He further cautioned political analysts against using cross-party presidential support as a template for predicting governorship outcomes across the country.

“Nobody should use that as a yardstick to judge who becomes governor of any state,” Wike warned.

“I think there’s only one state that’s clear, that will produce the governor. It’s my state. It’s very clear. The other ones, we don’t know what will happen. Rainbow Coalition, we don’t need to be a member of APC Presidential Campaign Council. We’ll do our own work”, he added.

Reaffirming his full control over his political bases, Wike declared that no external body or formal party committee would dictate political activities in Rivers or the FCT.

The minister insisted, “Okay, like now, who will be in charge of the Rivers State campaign? There’s nothing like the APC presidential campaign in the Rivers State election, no. I’m the one that’s in charge! I’m also the one that’s in charge of FCT. So, that’s how it is.”

Follow Very Nigerian WhatsApp Channel
For Verified Breaking News, Exclusive Reports, Trending Stories, And Real-time Updates.
CLICk HERE TO JOIN!