Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike issued a blunt caution warning Governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress on Wednesday, telling them that President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign will be judged by votes delivered in their states rather than mere claiming of victory.
Speaking at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa, Minister Wike said party officials should not celebrate a national victory if their own states fail to produce strong support for the president.
“If you don’t deliver your state and President Tinubu wins, don’t say we won,” Wike said.
Minister Wike, a leading figure in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the 2027 contest would test whether Nigeria’s political establishment can marshal genuine popular backing for an incumbent seeking a second term.
He argued that President Tinubu had earned support through “bold policy decisions” over the past three years.
The Minister was appointed coordinator of the President’s campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, placing him at the center of the APC’s effort to consolidate support in two politically consequential areas.
“My job is already simple,” As coordinator of Rivers State and the FCT, by the grace of God, the people will vote massively for President Tinubu,” Wike said.
The campaign council’s composition underscores the cross-party coalition
Tinubu has assembled ahead of the vote.
Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party were both named state coordinators, alongside Wike.
Both Governors pledged to mobilize their states for the President’s second-term bid, according to remarks at the inauguration.
The APC also appointed all 32 of its Governors as coordinators in their respective states, effectively making them accountable for the president’s performance at the ballot box.
Minister Wike’s message was aimed squarely at the distinction between holding office and producing electoral results.
He said positions such as campaign chairman, secretary, or member mattered less than ensuring that Tinubu wins.
“What is important is for the President to win,” he said, describing state-level delivery as the central measure of loyalty and effectiveness within the campaign.
