Tinubu’s loyalist turns down appointmen

By Philippine Duru

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s right hand man, and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, says he would have rejected appointment to head or serve on the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council if he was approached for such.

The former Rivers governor disclosed this on Saturday during an interactive session with reporters after inspecting projects in the nation’s capital, the former Rivers State governor dismissed public speculations about his exclusion from the party’s campaign structures, insisting that real political leverage is anchored on local grassroots dominance rather than vanity appointments on national committees.

“Let me tell you, in 2023, when I was member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, I was not listed,” Wike said.

 “But did I support President Tinubu? Yes! People don’t understand why I cannot—it’s not that one is not qualified. Who is more qualified than me? But let me tell you the history why I would not want to be, even if President Tinubu calls me today to say ‘I want you to be,’ I will say no. He will say ‘why?’ I’ll say ‘let me tell you the history.”

He further said: “In 2015, the Minister of Transport, who was the governor of Rivers State, was the DG of Muhammadu Buhari. Before you know it, he put the campaign office… he lost. He didn’t get to 25 percent. In 2019, he was Minister of Transport, he became the DG, he lost his state too. Bukola Saraki was the DG of Atiku Abubakar in 2019. He was running around doing ‘Atikulate.’ I called him, ‘What are you doing in Atikulate? Go home.’ He lost his state, lost his own seat too.

“In 2023, Governor Lalong was the DG of the presidential… He lost his state. In the same 2023, the Labour one was the DG… He lost his state.

“I don’t want to lose my state! I will be in my state. I have two states: FCT and Rivers State. What is important is, are you able to deliver those two states? So it’s not about being DG. If you are DG and you don’t win your state, what is the essence of the DG?”

The minister stressed that his primary political obligation remains delivering solid electoral victories for President Tinubu in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, arguing that national titles are meaningless without grassroots backing.

“Everything matters about the state; it’s not about being a member of the Campaign Council,” he asserted.

Wike said “every politics is local. If you cannot deliver the President in your state, so how will you say you won an election? If you lose your own state, even if you are DG, you’ll be ashamed. When you say you won, they’ll say ‘you won what? Why didn’t you win in your own state?’ So for me, those things don’t matter. Anybody who knows that he has value to contribute, you don’t need to put yourself…”