Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has announced that he will personally lead President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's re-election campaign in the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State, declaring that the machinery for an aggressive campaign is fully ready and will be inaugurated shortly.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor who has repeatedly insisted he remains a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, made the announcement on Friday in Chikuku, a community along the Kuje-Gwagwalada artery in Abuja, shortly after inspecting the ongoing construction of Phase Two of the Kuje-Gwagwalada road dualisation project. "The ruling All Progressives Congress, I believe, is putting itself together for an aggressive campaign," Wike said. "For us who are supporting Mr President from different political platforms, we have put our machinery ready to fully kickstart. Very soon, I will inaugurate the campaign team for Tinubu in the FCT and Rivers State, which I will lead. All elements of the APC are ready, Mr President is ready, we are ready, and you can see the enthusiasm".
The announcement formalises a role that had been the subject of speculation for weeks. ThisDay had reported on Monday that President Tinubu was moving to give Wike a clearly defined role in his re-election campaign, with the FCT Minister expected to emerge as coordinator of the campaign structure in Rivers State and the FCT, even as he retains his PDP membership. Sources familiar with the developing structure said the arrangement was designed to harness Wike's political network without formally placing him inside the APC hierarchy, a party he has consistently said he does not belong to. The emerging framework is also expected to feature former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari as Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau operating independently rather than reporting to Yari, reflecting a deliberate attempt to accommodate multiple power centres without creating overlapping authority.
Wike's role is not without controversy. He has been locked in a prolonged confrontation with governors elected on the APC platform over his Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party movement he founded to mobilise support for Tinubu's re-election while allowing politicians to contest other elections under different party platforms. The Progressive Governors' Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, rejected the coalition, describing it as a political arrangement capable of undermining the party and its candidates, and accused Wike of deploying it to support politicians who lost APC primaries and are now contesting on the PDP platform. Wike has denied the claim, accusing the governors of opposing the coalition because they fear losing their own elections, and specifically naming Governors AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Uzodimma as the main opponents of the arrangement, saying they were acting for "selfish reasons". In September, Wike described himself as the "General Commander of the Political Infantry" and declared that he remained in charge of political structures in Rivers and the FCT, asserting, "You do not need to be governor before you can be in charge. I am the General Commander of the Political Infantry; therefore, I am in charge. So also in FCT. I owe the President to give these two".
The FCT Minister's campaign strategy appears to rest on the argument that visible development projects will translate directly into electoral support. "People are happy, and I don't know who will contest against Mr President as far as this election is concerned," Wike said. "This is governance, and this is what people expect. It will translate directly into actual votes". He dismissed the possibility of electoral malpractice in the FCT, saying, "It is very obvious. Nobody will be able to claim rigging in the FCT. The 'rigging' is the projects we are delivering, making the people happy". The minister expressed confidence that the administration's infrastructure record would secure victory across the board in the FCT, including for the APC's senatorial candidate, Senator Philip Aduda, and the territory's two House of Representatives seats.
Wike's emergence as campaign leader in two strategically important territories comes as the 2027 general elections approach, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. Rivers State, an oil-rich state in the South-South, and the FCT, Nigeria's seat of power, are both critical battlegrounds. Wike's influence in Rivers, where he served as governor for eight years, and his control of the FCT's political machinery, make him a significant asset to the President's re-election effort, even as his continued membership of the PDP complicates his formal integration into the APC campaign structure.
The arrangement also raises questions about the wider campaign architecture. With Wike leading the FCT and Rivers, Yari serving as Director General, and the Senate President and Deputy Senate President operating independently, the campaign structure appears designed to accommodate competing power blocs rather than imposing a single chain of command. Whether this decentralised model will function effectively or create confusion on the ground remains to be seen.
For the President's opponents, Wike's announcement adds another layer to the political contest. Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement are among the candidates seeking to unseat Tinubu. Atiku has named former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who remains in ICPC custody, as deputy chairman of his campaign council, while Obi's movement has been embroiled in a dispute with the NDC over the status of its campaign structure. The APC's decision to deploy Wike as a front-line campaigner in the FCT and Rivers signals that the ruling party intends to fight hard for both territories.
On the Kuje-Gwagwalada road project, Wike assured stakeholders that adequate funding would be provided to guarantee completion by December. "This is my first time getting to this side of the road, and I can see how highly populated this area is," he said, stressing that delivering functional infrastructure remained the cornerstone of good governance and public satisfaction. He thanked President Tinubu for what he described as sustained support for capital projects in the territory, reinforcing the connection between infrastructure delivery and electoral mobilisation that has become central to his campaign message.
As the 2027 campaign intensifies, Wike's dual role as FCT Minister and campaign leader in two key territories will test both his political influence and the APC's ability to manage the competing interests within its support base. For now, the message from Abuja is unambiguous: Wike is taking charge, and he intends to deliver the FCT and Rivers for the President.
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