Follow Us on Google
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has challenged political stakeholders backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election to prioritise delivering their wards, local government areas and states rather than scrambling for positions in the presidential campaign council.
Wike said political influence should be measured by electoral results, insisting that those seeking prominent campaign positions must first demonstrate their ability to deliver votes in their respective political strongholds.
The minister spoke on Saturday while inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja, where he also explained why he would not seek the position of Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
According to him, occupying a prominent campaign position would be meaningless if the person could not deliver his or her home state for the President.
“Every politics is local. If you cannot deliver the president in your state, how will you say you want an election? If you lose your own state, even if you’re DG, you’ll be ashamed,” Wike said.
He added: “What’s important is that you are able to deliver those two states? So it’s not about being DG. If you’re DG and you don’t win your state, what’s the essence of the DG?”
Wike said he would rather concentrate on his political base and ensure victory for Tinubu than pursue a prominent position in the presidential campaign structure.
He recalled that some politicians who previously served as campaign directors-general had failed to deliver their home states to their presidential candidates, citing former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and former Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, among others.
“I don’t want to lose my state! I will be in my state. I have two states: FCT and my state,” he said.
The FCT minister, who reiterated that he is not a member of the APC, said his support for Tinubu would not necessarily require membership of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
He said the political forces that supported Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election operated through what he described as a “Rainbow Coalition” across different states.
“We don’t need to be members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. We are doing our own work,” Wike said.
He maintained that the same coalition of political interests would play a role in the 2027 election, although the political arrangements could vary from state to state.
Wike also pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects in the FCT as evidence of the performance of the Tinubu administration, arguing that tangible projects would provide a stronger campaign message than promises.
“When people have asked me about campaign, I say, ‘What is campaign? See the campaign!’ Campaign is what have you done for the people? What has the government got to show?” he said.
“It’s not about promises; it’s about really putting in action that things indeed will have a positive impact in the lives of the people,” he added.
The minister spoke while inspecting the Apo-Karshi Road and the 14-kilometre dualisation of the Bwari-Kubwa Satellite Town access road.
Wike said the Apo-Karshi Road was one of the projects inherited by the Tinubu administration, having originally been awarded in 2010.
According to him, the FCT Administration terminated the previous contract because of the importance of the road and complaints from residents before awarding the project to SCC.
He expressed satisfaction with the progress of work by the contractor, who, he said, had indicated that the project would be completed by November.
Wike also commended the contractor for sustaining work despite payment challenges, saying it demonstrated confidence in the administration’s commitment to fulfilling its financial obligations.
On the Bwari-Kubwa road, the minister described the 14-kilometre dualisation as a major infrastructure intervention aimed at improving connectivity and stimulating economic activities in the satellite towns.
“Here we are, it’s Bwari to Kubwa. The dualisation of the satellite town access road, 14 kilometres. I don’t think the people of this area ever dreamed that there’ll be a road here to Kubwa. Again, it’s part of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
Wike disclosed that the FCT Administration was targeting the completion and commissioning of several major projects before the 2027 elections.
He said the number could exceed the 10 projects he had earlier promised to commission, depending on the pace of work on ongoing projects.
“Before the election, I gave 10 projects that we commissioned. If care is not taken, it may be more than 10 projects that are very impactful to the economic activities and the lives of the people of these cities,” he said.
Wike said the administration remained focused on ensuring that promises made to residents were translated into tangible projects, which he described as a practical demonstration of government performance ahead of the 2027 elections.
