The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed happiness over his inclusion in the campaign team for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, despite not being a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike said Tinubu’s decision to accommodate individuals outside the ruling party showed that his re-election campaign was open to supporters willing to contribute to his victory, regardless of their political affiliations.
The minister spoke on Tuesday during his monthly media parley in Abuja.
According to Wike, Tinubu recognised that some non-APC members had valuable contributions to make towards his re-election and decided to include them in the campaign structure.
“So my thinking is that the president said, look, there are those who are not members of our political parties, but have something to offer for his re-election, and it will be proper to accommodate them so that we are able to offer whatever they may call it,” he said.
Wike explained that the arrangement reflected cooperation between APC members and other supporters of the president working towards a common objective.
“Some don’t want to see the word coalition, but if you see that word PBAT slash APC, were the members of the party, and supporters of Mr President working together to achieve one purpose,” he added.
The FCT minister cited Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke as examples of non-APC governors involved in coordinating support for Tinubu’s re-election.
“You can see Professor Soludo, Governor of Anambra State, who is the coordinator for Anambra State. You can see Governor Adeleke, who is not a member of APC, but the coordinator for Mr President, and then my humble self, who is not a member of APC, but a strong coordinator for the president in Rivers and the FCT,” Wike said.
He maintained that Tinubu’s re-election should be seen as a broader political project involving supporters beyond the ruling party.
“It tells you that it’s not necessarily just APC. Like we are saying that the re-election of Mr President should not just be about the APC,” he said.
Wike added that the arrangement demonstrated that the president had supporters across political divides who wanted him to continue in office.
“So that is giving holistic view that there are those who are ready for Mr President to be elected to continue the good work we think he is doing for Nigeria. Frankly speaking, we are happy to be part of it,” he said.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, has remained a prominent supporter of Tinubu despite his continued association with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
