Wike has challenged supporters of President Bola Tinubu to prove their political strength by delivering their wards, local government areas and states in the 2027 presidential election, rather than competing for campaign council positions.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has challenged political stakeholders backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid to deliver their wards, local government areas and states in the 2027 presidential election.
Wike made the call in Abuja on Saturday, August 22, 2026, after inspecting ongoing projects in the FCT, stressing that membership of a presidential campaign council does not automatically translate into electoral victory.
According to the former Rivers State governor, political influence in a presidential election is ultimately measured by a politician’s ability to mobilise voters and deliver results at the grassroots.
He urged politicians supporting Tinubu to concentrate on winning their respective wards, local government areas and states rather than lobbying for positions in the yet-to-be constituted campaign structure.
“All politics is local,” Wike said, insisting that politicians should demonstrate their relevance through actual electoral results.
Wike dismissed suggestions that politicians who are not members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council would be unable to contribute to Tinubu’s victory.
He argued that political actors could operate through independent alliances and grassroots structures while still working towards the President’s re-election.
To illustrate his point, Wike cited previous presidential campaigns in which prominent campaign directors-general were unable to deliver their home states.
He referenced Rotimi Amaechi’s role as director-general of Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 and 2019 campaigns, Bukola Saraki’s leadership of Atiku Abubakar’s 2019 campaign, Aminu Tambuwal’s role in Atiku’s 2023 campaign and Simon Lalong’s leadership of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in 2023.
Wike said the inability of such campaign leaders to secure their home states raised questions about the practical value of campaign titles without corresponding grassroots electoral strength.
“If you are DG and you don’t win your state, what is the essence of the DG?” he asked.
The FCT minister also pointed to the emergence of a broader “Rainbow Coalition” involving political actors from different parties who are working to support Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.
Recent reports confirm that Wike has been promoting the coalition as a cross-party political realignment, with the minister saying the alliance is expanding beyond Rivers State and could involve political figures across the country.
Wike specifically cited political developments involving Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke as part of the emerging national realignment, describing the movement as a broader coalition of politicians supporting Tinubu irrespective of their formal party affiliations.
He maintained that the coalition does not require its members to belong to the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
“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,” he said.
Wike added that the coalition was focused on its own mobilisation strategy rather than seeking formal positions in the President’s campaign council.
The minister further declared that Rivers State and the FCT would remain central to his political efforts to secure victory for Tinubu.
He said his focus was not on occupying a formal campaign position but on delivering electoral results in areas where he has political influence.
“What is important is: are you able to deliver those two states?” Wike asked, before declaring that he would take responsibility for the campaign efforts in Rivers and the FCT.
The development comes amid intensified political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, including ongoing efforts by Wike’s Rainbow Coalition to consolidate political support in Rivers State. Recent reconciliation efforts have also brought members of the coalition together with Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other Rivers political stakeholders.
Wike’s latest remarks therefore place greater emphasis on grassroots mobilisation, electoral delivery and measurable political results ahead of the 2027 presidential contest, rather than campaign appointments alone.
Visit GMTNewsng for more news stories.
