FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has said he cannot serve as Director General of President Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign council because he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He added that even if the President personally asked him, he would decline, arguing that the priority should be delivering key states rather than holding a national campaign title.
Speaking in response to a question on whether he would have wanted the DG position, Wike said: “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.”
The Minister drew on past elections to make his case. He recalled that in 2015, the then Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, served as DG of Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign. According to Wike, the outcome in Rivers was poor. “Before you knew, I pulled the carpet off his feet. He lost. He didn’t get 25 percent,” he said.
Wike continued with the 2019 cycle. He noted that Amaechi, then Minister of Transport, was again DG and Rivers was lost to the APC. He also cited Senate President Bukola Saraki, who was DG of Atiku Abubakar’s campaign that year. “Bukola Saraki was the DG of Atiku campaign in 2019. He was running around doing ‘Atikulated’, I called him, ‘Why are you doing Atikulated? Go home!’ He lost his state! Lost his own seat, too!”
He said the pattern repeated in 2023. Former Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal was DG for Atiku and lost his state. Plateau Governor Simon Lalong also served as DG for the APC and Tinubu, but could not deliver his own state. “In 2023, Aminu Tambuwal became DG of Atiku. He lost his state! In the same 2023, Lalong was the DG of APC, the present president. He lost his state!”
For Wike, the lesson is clear and personal. He said his focus is on the FCT and Rivers, the two political territories he claims. “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?”
The comments come amid early conversations around the structure of campaign councils ahead of 2027. Wike, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party serving in an APC-led federal cabinet, remains a major power broker in Rivers and at the center. Political observers say his remarks highlight how state-level performance has increasingly defined the relevance of national campaign roles in Nigeria’s presidential elections.
Political analysts said Wike’s position underscores a growing trend where governors and ministers prioritize home-state victories over ceremonial national appointments. They noted that with the 2027 polls already shaping up, party leaders are under pressure to present DGs and campaign chiefs who can guarantee their bases, rather than those with only national visibility.
Meanwhile, reactions from both APC and PDP camps have been mixed. Some APC chieftains described Wike’s stance as “pragmatic,” arguing that his influence in Rivers and the FCT could be more valuable outside a formal DG role. PDP stakeholders, however, questioned how a PDP member can dictate campaign strategy for an APC president, saying the focus should be on strengthening the opposition ahead of 2027.
