Wike Says He Will Focus on Delivering Rivers, FCT for Tinubu, Cites Saraki’s 2019 Loss
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
By Simba James Okoh
ABUJA, Nigeria — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he is more interested in delivering electoral victories for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State and the FCT than occupying a position in the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.
Wike made the remarks on Saturday, August 22, 2026, while speaking with journalists after inspecting ongoing road projects in Abuja.
His comments followed the unveiling of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election, with former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, named Director-General and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, appointed Secretary.
Contrary to reports suggesting that Wike was angry about being excluded from the campaign council, the minister explained that he could not have been a member of the APC campaign structure because he remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“I am not a member of the APC, so I cannot be in the presidential campaign council,” Wike said, according to reports of his remarks.
Wike, however, maintained that his political relevance should be measured by his ability to deliver votes rather than by the title or position he occupies within a campaign organisation.
He said he would concentrate on Rivers State and the FCT, which he described as the two areas where he would be responsible for supporting Tinubu's re-election effort.
“Who will be in charge of the Rivers State campaign? Me. Who will be in charge of FCT? Me,” he said.
The minister also referred to previous presidential campaign directors-general who, according to him, failed to deliver their home states while leading national campaign structures.
Wike specifically mentioned former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who served as Director-General of Atiku Abubakar's presidential campaign in 2019.
He recalled Saraki's political setback in the 2019 elections, saying, “He lost his state! Lost his own seat, too!”
Available election records confirm that the claim about Saraki losing his Senate seat is accurate. In the 2019 Kwara Central senatorial election, APC candidate Ibrahim Oloriegbe defeated Saraki, polling 123,808 votes against Saraki's 68,994. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lists the 2019 Kwara Central senatorial result among its published election results.
At the presidential level, APC candidate Muhammadu Buhari also defeated PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar in Kwara State in the 2019 election. Buhari secured 308,984 votes, compared with Atiku's 138,184 votes.
Wike also cited former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong as examples of politicians who served as presidential campaign directors-general but failed to deliver their respective states in subsequent elections.
The FCT minister said the experience of previous campaign leaders convinced him that securing electoral support at the grassroots was more important than holding a prominent national campaign position.
“If you are DG and you don't win your state, what is the essence of the DG?” he asked.
Wike nevertheless reaffirmed his support for Tinubu's 2027 re-election bid. He said the Rainbow Coalition, a political structure he established in Rivers State, was already working towards securing support for the President.
He stressed that political actors seeking Tinubu's victory should focus on delivering their wards, local government areas and states rather than competing for positions within the national campaign structure.
The development underscores Wike's continuing political influence within the Tinubu administration despite his formal membership of the PDP and his absence from the APC's newly announced presidential campaign council.
