Why I couldn't have been Tinubu's campaign DG - Wike

By Omeiza Ajayi

Federal Capital Territory FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has explained that he could not have served as Director General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 campaign because he is not a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC and would also not risk losing his home state the way previous campaign chairmen did.

Wike spoke on Saturday after inspecting the Apo-Karshi road and the Kubwa-Bwari road in Abuja, recounting a string of past campaign DGs who worked to deliver the presidency for their candidates only to lose their own states in the process, with some losing both their states and the presidency.

The Presidency on Saturday announced the composition of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, naming a former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdulaziz Yari as director general.

Asked whether he would have wanted to be part of the council, Wike, who had always insisted that he did not have to be part of any APC structure to give his all to the president’s re-election, said, “In 2015, the Minister of Transport was the governor of Rivers State. He was the DG of Muhammadu Buhari. Before you knew, I pulled the carpet off his feet. He lost. He didn’t get 25 percent. In 2019, he was Minister of Transport; he became the DG, and he lost his state too. Bukola Saraki was the DG of Atiku campaign in 2019. He was running around doing ‘Atikulated’, I called him, ‘Why are you doing Atikulated? Go home!’ He lost his state! Lost his own seat, too! In 2023, Aminu Tambuwal became DG of Atiku. He lost his state! In the same 2023, Lalong was the DG of APC, the present president. He lost his state!”