Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says he will coordinate President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT and Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general election....
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says he will coordinate President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT and Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general election.
Wike made the declaration on Monday at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, where he unveiled plans for a joint mobilisation strategy involving members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The minister said political differences would not prevent stakeholders from working together to secure Tinubu’s re-election, adding that the coalition had also agreed to support APC candidates contesting National Assembly seats in the FCT.
“For the presidency, all of us have agreed that it is Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am going to coordinate the FCT and Rivers State. So you can imagine how important it is,” he said.
“I am in charge of the FCT election. I am the commander of field operations as far as the FCT election is concerned.”
The meeting brought together APC and PDP stakeholders, including party chairmen, serving and former senators, National Assembly candidates and political leaders from the FCT’s six area councils.
PDP candidates contesting National Assembly seats also declared support for their APC counterparts, signalling a cross-party alliance ahead of the elections.
Wike urged participants to prioritise the coalition’s common objective over their party affiliations.
“I want to let all of you know that we are going to work together. Nobody should say, ‘I am PDP’ or ‘I am APC.’ For the purpose of this election, we are together,” he said.
The former Rivers State governor cited the 2024 Edo State governorship election as an example of how political alliances could influence electoral outcomes.
He claimed that cooperation between elements of the APC and PDP had helped prevent the incumbent governor from installing a successor, arguing that alliances could succeed when political actors agreed on a common goal.
Wike, however, clarified that the arrangement was primarily focused on the presidential election, leaving participating parties to determine their positions on other contests.
Wike highlights Tinubu’s achievements
Making a case for Tinubu’s re-election, the minister challenged political leaders to identify any of the FCT’s six area councils that had not benefited from the administration’s infrastructure projects and institutional reforms.
He cited the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, the appointment of an FCT Head of the Civil Service from within the territory’s workforce and the creation of the Women Affairs and Youth Development Secretariats as evidence of the administration’s achievements.
According to Wike, the reforms had expanded opportunities for career progression among FCT civil servants and increased participation in governance.
He also listed road construction and rehabilitation, school renovations, police stations and other public facilities among the projects being executed across the territory.
The minister expressed confidence that the administration’s record would provide a strong basis for mobilising residents to support Tinubu in 2027.
Wike also defended the President’s economic reforms, acknowledging that some of the policies had imposed temporary hardship on Nigerians but arguing that difficult decisions were necessary to address longstanding economic problems.
“Changing the economy of a country is not like a prayer,” he said, suggesting that the benefits of the reforms might take time to materialise.
The minister further expressed support for the proposed establishment of state police, describing it as an important measure for addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
His declaration sets the stage for a broader political mobilisation involving APC and PDP stakeholders in the FCT and Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general election.