Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has urged Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to clarify his political allegiance ahead of the 2027 elections. In an interview with Channels Television's Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lawal stated that Wike cannot support President Bola Tinubu's re-election while backing candidates of other parties.
Lawal emphasized that the position of APC governors on Wike's cross-party political platform remains unchanged. He stressed that Wike should make his preference count by choosing to support either the APC or other parties. The governor noted that it doesn't make sense for Wike to support APC at the presidential level while backing other parties in governorship and legislative elections.
The dispute centers on Wike's Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party platform through which the minister has been mobilizing support for Tinubu's re-election. Wike has maintained that his support for Tinubu does not amount to an endorsement of APC candidates in other contests. In a statement issued earlier this month, Wike said he would support Tinubu for the presidency while the Peoples Democratic Party would remain free to contest governorship, National Assembly, and state House of Assembly elections.
Lawal responded to Wike's description of some APC governors as lazy, saying the FCT minister knows the people he was referring to. He added that the difference is very clear in Zamfara State, where the governor is actively working to develop the state. Lawal invited anyone to come and see the progress being made in Zamfara State.
The APC governors have maintained that they would not support any political arrangement capable of weakening the party or its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections. The disagreement has widened into a dispute over political structures for the 2027 elections, with the governors objecting to a platform that could support Tinubu at the presidential level while backing candidates outside the APC in governorship and legislative contests.
Lawal stated that he would raise the matter with Tinubu, saying Wike's political position needed to be clearly defined. He emphasized that it's either Wike is in APC or he is out, adding that he would discuss this with his brothers, the governors. The governor stressed that the message is very clear: APC all the way from head to toe.
The Zamfara State Governor's comments have sparked a fresh controversy in the country's political landscape. Wike's Rainbow Coalition has been seen as a move to create a broader alliance for Tinubu's re-election. However, the APC governors have expressed concerns that the coalition could undermine the party's chances in the 2027 elections.
Key points
- Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has told Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to either join the All Progressives Congress or quit the Rainbow Coalition.
- The dispute centers on Wike's Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party platform through which the minister has been mobilizing support for Tinubu's re-election.
- Lawal emphasized that the position of APC governors on Wike's cross-party political platform remains unchanged, stressing that Wike should make his preference count by choosing to support either the APC or other parties.
