Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has explained why he could not serve as Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, saying he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and does not want to risk losing his states.

Wike spoke on Saturday after inspecting the Apo-Karshi and Kubwa-Bwari roads in Abuja, a day after the Presidency announced the composition of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and named former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as its Director-General.

Asked whether he would have wanted to head the council, Wike recalled several former presidential campaign directors-general who lost their states while campaigning for their candidates.

He cited the cases of Rotimi Amaechi, who served as Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 and 2019 campaigns, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who headed Atiku Abubakar’s 2019 campaign, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who served as Atiku’s campaign DG in 2023, and former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, who headed the APC campaign in 2023.

Wike said he did not want to become part of the trend, stressing that his priority was to deliver the FCT and Rivers State rather than occupy a campaign position.

“I don’t want to lose my state! I will be in my state. I have two states: FCT and Rivers. What is important is that you are able to deliver those two states. So it is not about being DG.”

He added: “If you are DG and you don’t win your state, what is the essence of the DG?”

Wike also cited his non-membership of the APC as another reason he could not have headed the campaign council, while reiterating his support for Tinubu’s re-election.

“I am not a member of APC. So the issue of their Presidential Campaign Council is out of the question,” he said.

Wike recalled that he and other members of the G-5 governors did not belong to the APC Presidential Campaign Council in 2023 but nevertheless worked to support Tinubu’s emergence as president.

He said his support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election would instead operate through a cross-party “Rainbow Coalition”, involving politicians who support the President while remaining members of their respective political parties.

Wike also argued that political relevance should be measured by electoral results rather than campaign titles, saying the outcome of the 2027 elections would determine the strength of the various political camps.

“Nobody should use that as a yardstick to judge who will be the governor of any state,” he said, adding that he was confident about the political outcome in Rivers State, while the situation in other states remained uncertain.