Abuja, Nigeria – Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has explained why he could not have been appointed Director-General of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
He cited his non-membership of the ruling party and his determination not to risk losing electoral control of Rivers State and the FCT.
Wike spoke on Saturday while inspecting ongoing construction works on the Apo-Karshi Road and the Kubwa-Bwari Road in Abuja. His comments came shortly after the Presidency announced the composition of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, naming former Zamfara State Governor and Senator Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General.
The former Rivers State governor said political relevance is measured by the ability to deliver votes in one’s strongholds rather than by occupying a high-profile campaign position. He recalled several past campaign directors-general who lost their own states while leading presidential bids.
“Political relevance is not about the position you hold in a campaign. What matters is your ability to deliver your state. We have seen campaign DGs in the past who went on to lose their own states,” Wike stated.
He cited former Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who served as Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign in 2015 and again in 2019 but lost Rivers State on both occasions. He also referenced former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who led Atiku Abubakar’s 2019 campaign and subsequently lost both Kwara State and his Senate seat.
Wike further pointed to the 2023 elections, noting that former Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal (Atiku’s campaign DG) and former Plateau Governor Simon Lalong (APC campaign DG for Tinubu) both failed to deliver their states.
“I don’t want to lose my state! I will be in my state. I have two states: FCT and Rivers. What is important is that you are able to deliver those two states. So it is not about being DG. If you are DG and you don’t win your state, what is the essence of the DG?” he asked.
The minister also ruled out any possibility of heading the APC campaign structure on the grounds that he is not a member of the party.
“I am not a member of APC. So the issue of their Presidential Campaign Council is out of the question,” Wike said. He recalled that in 2023, he and his allies successfully mobilised support for Tinubu without being part of the formal APC Presidential Campaign Council, relying instead on their own strategies.
Wike reaffirmed his continued support for Tinubu’s re-election bid, indicating that his efforts would be channelled through a cross-party “Rainbow Coalition” of politicians from different parties working to secure victory for the President in their respective states. He insisted he would personally coordinate campaigns in Rivers State and the FCT.
“When we were fighting for the President to be president in 2023, we were not members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, but we were fighting. We had our own strategies on how the President would emerge,” he added.
The remarks follow earlier media reports in August that had linked Wike to lobbying for the campaign DG position—claims he had previously denied through his spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, stating he did not need any formal title to deliver results for the President.
President Tinubu chairs the newly constituted APC Presidential Campaign Council, with Vice President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as vice chairmen. Senator Abdulaziz Yari serves as Director-General.
This report is based on statements made by the FCT Minister during a project inspection in Abuja on August 22, 2026, and verified by multiple Nigerian media outlets.
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