Why I Won’t Join Tinubu’s 2027 Campaign — Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he has no interest in serving in President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign council.

According to him, electoral performance is more important than campaign titles.

Speaking on Saturday after inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Apo-Karshi and Bwari-Kubwa roads, Wike said he was not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and did not want the position of Director-General or any other prominent role in the campaign.

“I am not a member of the APC,” Wike said.

He claimed previous presidential campaign directors-general, despite holding influential roles, failed to deliver their home states to their candidates.

Wike cited former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong as examples.

“In 2015, the Minister of Transport (Rotimi Amaechi) was the governor of Rivers State. He was the DG of Muhammadu Buhari. Before you know it, I pulled the carpet off his feet. He lost. He didn’t get 25 percent,” he said.

He added that Amaechi also failed to deliver Rivers State to Buhari in 2019 while serving as campaign DG.

According to Wike, Saraki and Tambuwal also failed to deliver their states while serving as campaign directors-general for Atiku Abubakar in 2019 and 2023 respectively, while Lalong, who headed Tinubu’s 2023 campaign, lost Plateau State.

“I don’t want to lose my state. I will be in my state. I have two states, FCT and Rivers State. What’s important is, are you able to deliver those two states?” he said.

The minister argued that campaign positions should not be used as the measure of political success.

“It’s not about being the DG. If you’re a DG, you don’t win your state for yourself. What is the success of the DG?

“Every politics is local. If you cannot deliver president in your state, so how would you say you want election?” he said.

Wike also said his focus ahead of the 2027 election was on delivering projects in the FCT rather than political campaigning.

He said, “I’ve told people, and I’ve said, when people have asked me about campaigns, I say what is campaign? See the campaign.

“Campaign is what have you done for the people? What has the government got to show? It’s not about promises. It’s about showing action, that things indeed will have a positive impact in the lives of the people.”

He further stated that more than 10 major projects were expected to be completed before the 2027 elections.

During the inspection, Wike said work on the Apo-Karshi Road was progressing well and expressed confidence that the contractor would complete it by November.

“The company has said November, and I’m not going to be surprised. You have seen the level of work that SCC has done,” he said.

At the Bwari-Kubwa Road project, he said the contractor had assured the FCT Administration that the road would be completed and handed over by December.

Wike also announced stricter enforcement against commercial transport operators who violate designated bus terminal regulations.

He warned that taxi drivers and other commercial operators who pick up passengers outside approved locations would have their vehicles impounded.

“We will start a small level of madness in us, and then they will understand that they must obey the rules.

“Don’t worry, they have no choice. They will obey. We will carry them and impound their vehicles. Just watch what will happen,” he said.

The minister also said the FCT Administration had begun reclaiming green areas allegedly converted to car dealerships and other commercial activities.

He blamed some civil servants for issuing allocation papers that allowed land designated for parks and other public uses to be converted to commercial purposes.

“We have already started,” Wike said, adding, “What most civil servants do is terrible. Before you know it, they’ve given allocation papers to people to turn the green areas to all sorts of places. That’s why you see parks have now turned to where they sell vehicles.”

He said a task force had been established to recover the affected areas.

“As this has come to our notice, we have set up a task force. If you don’t leave the green area, we’ll carry your vehicles. In fact, maybe we will auction them,” he warned.

Wike said approvals for buildings and other developments were handled by the relevant departments and agencies of the FCT Administration, not by the minister personally.

He added that operators occupying green areas would be given time to comply before enforcement begins.

Responding to criticism of his performance, Wike said his record in office should be judged by completed projects.

He also said the FCT Administration would publish details of projects inherited from previous administrations and those awarded under the current government.

“We’re going to publish the projects that we inherited from the government of Olusegun Obasanjo, from 1999 to 2007. We’re also going to publish the one of Yar’Adua and Jonathan, and we’re also going to publish the one of Muhammadu Buhari.

“Then when we publish those ones we inherited and completed, we’ll also publish projects awarded by this present administration. So Nigerians will see for themselves,” he said.