Just In: Tinubu to Give Wike Fresh Appointment in APC, Details Emerge
- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is working to assign FCT Minister Nyesom Wike a formal role in his 2027 presidential campaign, covering Rivers State and the FCT
- Wike is expected to operate outside the APC's official hierarchy despite coordinating campaign efforts in two territories he claims substantial influence over
- The emerging campaign structure also features Abdulaziz Yari as Director General, though Senate President Godswill Akpabio and his deputy will not report to him
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja -President Bola Tinubu is working to carve out a defined campaign role for FCT Minister Nyesom Wike ahead of the 2027 elections.
Sources familiar with the developing structure said the former Rivers State governor is being positioned to coordinate campaign efforts in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Source: Twitter
As reported by This Day on Monday, September 21, the arrangement is designed to leverage Wike’s political network. It would also keep him outside the formal All Progressives Congress (APC) structure, given that he remains a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Wike's role and the fault lines
Arise News also reported the purported development.
Wike has consistently maintained that he does not need APC membership or a seat on the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) to deliver results for Tinubu. Earlier in September, he described himself as the "General Commander of the Political Infantry" and said he remained in charge of political structures in Rivers and the FCT.
"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," he said.
Those remarks have deepened tensions with APC governors who believe party structures should remain under the control of elected members. Wike specifically named Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as being among those working against him.
Source: UGC
The disagreement has also centred on Wike's 'Rainbow Coalition', a cross-party arrangement aimed at rallying support for Tinubu beyond the APC. The Progressives Governors Forum, chaired by Uzodimma, moved swiftly to distance itself from the initiative.
Reading the forum's resolutions, Uzodimma said:
"The forum unanimously resolved that its members won't participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the reelection of Mr President, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels."
Tinubu is now said to be seeking to contain the friction by assigning Wike a focused presidential campaign brief, limiting his remit to securing votes for the president rather than extending his influence across the APC's wider state operations.
2027 election: APC's broader campaign structure
Beyond Wike's role, the emerging 2027 election campaign framework is also notable for its decentralised design. Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari is set to serve as Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council, but Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau are expected to operate independently of his authority, each with direct lines of responsibility within the broader structure.
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo is also being considered for a senior spokesperson role. Keyamo served as Director of Public Affairs in Tinubu's 2023 campaign and held a communications role in former President Muhammadu Buhari's 2019 re-election bid. His potential return is expected to bring continuity to the campaign's public messaging operation.
Wike's alliance with Tinubu stretches back to the 2023 election, when he and four other PDP governors, collectively known as the G5, withheld support from the PDP's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Tinubu subsequently appointed him FCT Minister, making him one of the most prominent opposition politicians in the federal cabinet.
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ChatGPT predicts winner of 2027 election
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that ChatGPT predicted that the APC would likely win Nigeria's 2027 presidential election, using the Four Horsemen framework.
It cited the opposition coalition but said the APC has the edge due to possible low voter turnout and the Tinubu administration's efforts to stabilise the economy.
Source: Legit.ng
