If you don’t win your state for Tinubu, don’t say we have won – Wike tells APC Governors

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has challenged governors and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council to ensure that President Bola Tinubu wins their respective states in the 2027 general elections.

Wike warned that campaign officials should not celebrate an overall victory for the president if they fail to secure electoral victories in their own states.

He made the remarks on October 13 during the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The minister was appointed campaign coordinator for the FCT and Rivers State.

Addressing members of the council, Wike stressed that their contributions to Tinubu’s re-election campaign should be measured by their electoral performance rather than the positions they occupy within the campaign structure.

According to him, the ultimate objective should be ensuring the president’s victory at the polls, with each campaign official taking responsibility for delivering results in their assigned areas.

“If you don’t deliver your states and the president wins, don’t say we’ve won. It’s not a question of whether I am chairman, secretary, or member of this. What is important is for the president to win,” Wike said.

He further illustrated his point by referencing Lagos State, stressing that the president’s victory should not be taken for granted even in areas considered politically significant to the ruling party.

“I told the Chief of Staff to the President, if the president doesn’t win in Lagos, don’t say we’ve won,” he added.

The FCT minister also reaffirmed his position within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), despite his involvement in the APC’s presidential campaign activities.

Wike declared himself the leader of the opposition party, insisting that there was no ambiguity over his leadership position.

“As an opposition party member, as the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, there are no two leaders of the PDP. I am the leader,” he stated.

He also defended the impact of Tinubu‘s administration in the Federal Capital Territory, challenging critics to identify any area council that had not benefited from the president’s policies and interventions.

“I challenge any area council that can say they don’t feel the impact of Mr. President in Abuja,” Wike said.

His comments come as political activities and preparations for the 2027 general elections continue to gather momentum, with parties and political figures positioning themselves ahead of the contest.

Wike‘s remarks underline the importance of grassroots mobilisation and state-level electoral performance in determining the strength of Tinubu‘s re-election campaign. They also place pressure on campaign council members and political officeholders to demonstrate measurable support for the president in their respective political strongholds.