Wike Rejects Tinubu 2027 Campaign DG Role, Says He Won’t Risk Losing Rivers, FCT
Abuja, August 22, 2026 — Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has ruled out serving as Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign, declaring that he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and will not risk losing political control of Rivers State and the FCT.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday while inspecting the Apo-Karshi and Kubwa-Bwari roads in Abuja, Wike responded directly to speculation about the campaign leadership role shortly after the Presidency named former Zamfara Governor Senator Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
“I can’t be President Tinubu’s campaign DG because I’m not a member of the APC. People don’t understand. It’s not that one is not qualified. Who’s more qualified than me? Even if Mr. President calls me, I’ll say no and tell him why,” Wike stated.
Lessons from Political History
The minister drew on a series of high-profile examples to underline his point. He recalled that in 2015, then Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi served as Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign but failed to secure 25 per cent of the votes in Rivers.
Amaechi repeated the role in 2019 as Minister of Transportation and again lost the state.
Wike also pointed to former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who led Atiku Abubakar’s 2019 campaign only to lose both Kwara State and his own Senate seat.
In 2023, Aminu Tambuwal, as Atiku’s DG, lost Sokoto, while Simon Lalong, who headed the APC campaign for Tinubu, failed to deliver Plateau State.
“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.
Support Without Formal Membership
Wike emphasized that his non-membership of the APC does not diminish his commitment to Tinubu’s re-election.
He noted that in 2023, he and the G-5 governors worked effectively for Tinubu without belonging to the formal APC campaign structure.
He described his current approach as part of a “Rainbow Coalition” involving politicians from different parties who will mobilize support for the President in their respective states while maintaining their own platforms.
“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 said.
Wike insisted that electoral delivery, not titles, remains the true measure of political relevance.
His focus, he stressed, will stay on ensuring strong victories for Tinubu in the FCT and Rivers State rather than occupying a national campaign post.
The remarks come as political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Wike continuing to occupy a unique position as a PDP member serving in an APC-led federal administration while openly backing the President’s second-term bid.
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