File Photo: FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Monday declared himself the field commander of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT, pledging to coordinate the president’s campaign in the territory and Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the declaration at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, where he unveiled a cross-party mobilisation strategy involving members of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party to secure Tinubu’s re-election.
The meeting also saw PDP National Assembly candidates in the FCT declare support for their APC counterparts, with Wike saying the coalition had agreed to work together for Tinubu’s re-election and the success of APC candidates in the National Assembly elections.
“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. I am in charge of the FCT election. I am the commander of field operations as far as the FCT election is concerned”, the minister said.
The meeting was attended by APC and PDP stakeholders, including party chairmen, serving and former senators, National Assembly candidates and political leaders from the FCT’s six area councils.
Wike said the gathering was intended to establish a common political front ahead of the elections, regardless of the parties to which the participants might belong. “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 political differences could be set aside when stakeholders shared a common objective.
Wike, however, clarified that the coalition’s arrangement was primarily focused on the presidential election, leaving participating parties to determine their positions on other contests.
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 infrastructure projects and institutional reforms under the current administration.
He cited the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, the appointment of a 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 created opportunities for career progression among FCT civil servants and expanded participation in governance.
He also listed road construction and rehabilitation, school renovations, police stations and other public facilities among projects being executed across the territory.
The minister expressed confidence that the administration’s performance would provide a basis for mobilising FCT residents to support Tinubu in 2027.
Wike also defended the President’s economic reforms, acknowledging that some policies had imposed hardship but arguing that difficult decisions were necessary to address longstanding economic challenges.
“Changing the economy of a country is not like a prayer,” he said, adding that the benefits of economic reforms might not be immediate.
He further expressed support for the proposed establishment of state police, describing it as an important measure for addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.