Wike Challenges APC Governors: Deliver Your States for Tinubu in 2027

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has challenged governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to demonstrate their commitment to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid by ensuring the President secures victory in their respective states.

Wike issued the challenge on Wednesday during the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, where he was appointed coordinator for the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State.

He warned campaign officials against claiming collective success if they failed to deliver votes for Tinubu in their areas, insisting that the President’s victory should take precedence over individual positions within the campaign structure.

“If you don’t deliver your states and the president wins, don’t say we’ve won,” Wike said, stressing that the responsibility of every council member was to contribute meaningfully to the re-election effort.

The minister also cited Lagos State as an example, saying he had told the President’s Chief of Staff that the campaign could not claim a comprehensive victory if Tinubu failed to win there.

Wike pledged to mobilise support for Tinubu in Rivers State and the FCT, expressing confidence that voters in both areas would back the President in 2027.

“By the grace of God, Rivers and FCT will vote massively for Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

His remarks come amid ongoing disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over the organisation of Tinubu’s re-election campaign and the role of the minister’s proposed Rainbow Coalition.

While Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he has openly supported Tinubu and accepted a role in the ruling party’s presidential campaign structure. His involvement has, however, generated debate within the APC over whether support for the President should extend to candidates contesting other offices under different political platforms.

The APC governors have previously insisted that the party’s campaign machinery should support its official candidates at every level, warning against parallel political structures that could weaken the party’s electoral prospects.

Wike, however, has maintained that his support for Tinubu does not prevent the PDP from fielding candidates in other contests. He has also defended the participation of politicians from different parties in the President’s re-election campaign, describing the arrangement as a broader political coalition.

At the campaign council inauguration, Wike praised Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke for attending the event, saying their presence reflected the cross-party support being assembled for Tinubu.

He also defended the administration’s record, arguing that previous governments had identified Nigeria’s problems without adequately addressing them. He said opposition parties should focus on identifying areas requiring improvement rather than criticising the government simply because they were outside power.

Wike further asserted his leadership position within the PDP, declaring that there was no dispute over who led the party. His statement adds another dimension to the political debate surrounding his continued membership of the opposition party while serving in Tinubu’s administration and campaigning for the President’s second term.

The campaign council’s inauguration marks a further step in preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with the APC seeking to coordinate mobilisation across the states. Wike’s challenge places particular emphasis on the performance of state-level campaign coordinators and political leaders, whose ability to attract votes will be closely watched as election preparations intensify.

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