Wike to Tinubu’s Campaign Council : Don’t Claim Victory Without Delivering Your States

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned members of President Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign council against claiming collective victory in the 2027 election if they fail to secure support for the president in their respective states.

Wike gave the warning on Wednesday, October 14, during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, where he was named coordinator for Rivers State and the FCT.

Addressing members of the council, the minister said their effectiveness should be measured by their ability to mobilise electoral support rather than the positions they occupy within the campaign structure.

“If you don’t deliver your states and the President wins, don’t say we’ve won,” Wike said, according to reports of his remarks at the event.

He also singled out Lagos State, a traditional stronghold of the APC, stressing that even the president’s party should not take victory there for granted.

Wike said he had told the President’s Chief of Staff that a national victory would not be enough to justify celebrating if Tinubu failed to win Lagos, underscoring the importance he attached to results in individual states.

The former Rivers State governor also pledged to mobilise support for Tinubu in Rivers and the FCT, expressing confidence that voters in both territories would back the president in the 2027 election.

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

Wike’s role in Tinubu’s campaign has attracted attention because he remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the opposition party under whose platform he served as Rivers State governor. His support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition therefore places him in the unusual position of backing an incumbent president seeking re-election on the platform of a rival party.

The minister has continued to defend his decision to support Tinubu despite his PDP affiliation. Speaking at the campaign council’s inauguration, he also maintained that he remained the leader of the PDP, a claim made against the backdrop of persistent disputes within the opposition party over its leadership and direction.

At the event, Wike praised political leaders from outside the APC who attended the inauguration, including Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who belongs to the Accord Party. Their presence highlighted the cross-party political relationships surrounding Tinubu’s re-election effort.

Wike also defended the president’s performance in office, arguing that leadership required confronting difficult national issues rather than merely identifying them. He cited the proposed establishment of state police as an example of an issue that successive administrations had discussed without making comparable progress, expressing optimism that the proposal could advance in the coming months.

The campaign council’s inauguration marks another step in preparations for the 2027 presidential contest, as the APC seeks to retain power and secure a second term for Tinubu. Wike’s remarks put the focus on the responsibility of campaign coordinators and political allies to translate endorsements, party networks and mobilisation efforts into votes across the federation.

Whether the political alliances being assembled around the president can produce the promised electoral gains will ultimately be determined by voters. For the campaign council, Wike’s challenge is clear: national victory may secure the presidency, but the performance of individual coordinators will also be judged by the results recorded in the territories entrusted to them.