2027: Tinubu Moves To Give Wike Key Campaign Role In Rivers, FCT

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is reportedly moving to give Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike a clearly defined role in his 2027 presidential campaign, with the former Rivers State governor expected to coordinate the campaign structure in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory.

The proposed arrangement, according to sources familiar with the emerging campaign structure, is intended to utilise Wike’s political network while allowing him to retain his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Wike has repeatedly maintained that he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite serving as a minister in the APC-led Federal Government.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the proposed role comes amid disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over the structure and coordination of support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Wike has previously said he does not need to join the APC or hold a position within the party’s Presidential Campaign Council to support Tinubu’s re-election. In September, he described himself as the “General Commander of the Political Infantry” and said he remained in charge of political structures in Rivers State and the FCT.

The emerging arrangement would reportedly give Wike responsibility for mobilising support for Tinubu in the two territories while keeping him outside the formal hierarchy of the APC campaign structure.

Meanwhile, former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari has already been named Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, with Tinubu serving as chairman and Vice President Kashim Shettima as vice chairman.

Sources cited in the report said the proposed campaign structure would not necessarily operate through a single chain of command. Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau are reportedly expected to have separate lines of responsibility rather than directly reporting to Yari.

The proposed arrangement follows recent disagreements between Wike and APC governors over his Rainbow Coalition, which he says is designed to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election. APC governors, however, have said their campaign commitment is to APC candidates and have rejected political arrangements they believe could create divided loyalties or weaken the party’s structures.

Wike has continued to maintain that the Rainbow Coalition is focused on securing support for Tinubu at the presidential level, while the PDP remains free to field candidates in governorship and legislative elections.

The disagreement has placed Wike’s proposed political role alongside the APC’s formal campaign structure under increasing attention as preparations for the 2027 election continue.

The report also indicated that Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo could be assigned a prominent communications role in the campaign. Keyamo previously served as a spokesperson and Director of Public Affairs during Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign and held a senior communications role during Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election campaign.

As the 2027 campaign structure takes shape, the proposed role for Wike would provide a formal framework for his stated intention to mobilise support for Tinubu in Rivers State and the FCT, while he remains a member of the opposition PDP.