President Bola Tinubu is reportedly working to define the role of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike in his 2027 re-election campaign. Under the proposed arrangement, Wike would coordinate campaign activities in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The plan is expected to utilize Wike’s political network without formally placing him within the All Progressives Congress (APC) hierarchy. Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He has repeatedly said he does not belong to the ruling party.
Sources familiar with the emerging campaign structure told THISDAY that the arrangement is also intended to prevent disagreements among influential figures supporting Tinubu. Tensions have reportedly grown between Wike and some APC governors over how the President’s re-election campaign should operate.
Wike has maintained that he does not need APC membership. He does not need position on the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) to support Tinubu. He has also denied seeking the council’s director-general position, saying his priority is to deliver Rivers State and the FCT for the President.
The proposed arrangement would give him responsibility for two territories where he claims considerable political influence.
Tinubu’s Campaign Structure to Accommodate Different Power Blocs
The emerging campaign structure is not expected to follow a single chain of command. Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari is expected to serve as Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council.
However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau are reportedly not expected to report directly to Yari. Instead, they would operate independently within the broader campaign structure.
Sources said the arrangement reflects the political influence of the two presiding officers of the National Assembly. It is also intended to accommodate different political blocs without creating unnecessary disputes over authority.
The proposed structure would give influential figures distinct responsibilities rather than requiring every senior campaign official to report through the director general.
The effort to accommodate different political interests comes as Tinubu’s supporters prepare for the 2027 election. Similar political developments and campaign activities have featured in previous reports, including coverage of Tinubu’s re-election campaign and political developments.
According to a source cited by THISDAY, the same approach underpins Wike’s proposed role in Rivers and the FCT. The arrangement is intended to define his responsibilities and reduce the possibility of clashes among leading campaign figures.
Wike Insists He Controls Political Structures in Rivers and FCT
Wike recently 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.
“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.
His comments have reportedly intensified disagreements with APC politicians who believe elected governors should control their respective party structures.
The dispute has become particularly visible in recent weeks. Wike has accused some APC governors of working against him, specifically mentioning Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Wike has also promoted the “Rainbow Coalition”, a cross-party political arrangement intended to mobilise support for Tinubu beyond the APC’s formal structure.
He argues that politicians should be able to support Tinubu at the presidential level while backing candidates of their choice in state and other elections. The position has, however, drawn objections from APC governors.
Political disagreements involving Wike and other party figures have also featured in reports such as Wike’s response to Uzodimma over the Rainbow Coalition.
APC Governors Reject the Rainbow Coalition
Imo State Governor and Progressives Governors Forum Chairman Hope Uzodimma recently read the forum’s resolutions concerning the proposed Rainbow Coalition.
Uzodimma said the governors had unanimously resolved not to participate in, support or endorse any political arrangement that could undermine Tinubu’s re-election, weaken the APC or adversely affect the party’s candidates.
He said the governors’ commitment remained with APC candidates at every level.
The forum also stated that it would not support political arrangements that could create confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests within the party’s campaign structures.
Uzodimma said the campaign architecture at every level should align with the President’s expectations and the APC’s objectives.
The governors’ position highlights a central disagreement between Wike and the party’s leadership. While Wike says he intends to help Tinubu win the presidential election, he has not agreed to support APC candidates in every state contest.
He has also maintained that he never promised the PDP would refrain from fielding candidates in governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections. Wike further said Tinubu knew about the Rainbow Coalition.
The dispute comes amid other political realignments ahead of 2027, including developments involving APC stakeholders in Enugu State and political mobilisation in Enugu East.
Tinubu Reportedly Seeks to Prevent Further Campaign Disputes
According to the source cited by THISDAY, Tinubu wants to address the disagreements by defining Wike’s responsibilities before the campaign structure becomes fully operational.
The proposed arrangement would reportedly focus Wike’s role on securing presidential support in Rivers State and the FCT. It would not automatically give him control over the APC’s wider state organisation.
Wike’s relationship with Tinubu dates back to the 2023 presidential election. At the time, Wike and four other aggrieved PDP governors refused to support their party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The group, commonly known as the G5, called for the PDP to resolve internal zoning and power-sharing disputes before the election. Wike subsequently supported Tinubu while remaining a PDP member.
After Tinubu assumed office, the President appointed Wike as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. The appointment made him one of the most prominent opposition-party politicians serving in the federal cabinet.
Wike has since defended the administration’s policies, promoted federal projects in the FCT and repeatedly expressed support for Tinubu’s re-election.
He has also argued that Tinubu has shown sufficient commitment to Rivers State to deserve the support of its people. However, his close relationship with the President has not eliminated disagreements with the APC establishment.
Other reports have examined political disputes and realignments involving the President’s administration, including the Presidency’s response to Peter Obi over Anambra’s debt claims and Peter Obi’s political activities in Benue.
Rivers Political Arrangement Adds Another Layer of Complexity
The proposed campaign role would also have to account for the relationship between Wike and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The two politicians belong to different political parties but are reportedly aligned behind the same presidential candidate. Sources said the proposed structure would attempt to reduce uncertainty by defining Wike’s role around Tinubu’s presidential campaign.
It would therefore distinguish his responsibility for the presidential vote from control of the APC’s broader organisation in Rivers State.
Wike has also declared that he would personally coordinate efforts to secure Tinubu’s victory in the FCT, where he serves as minister.
He has promised to reverse the trend of ruling parties losing the seat of power during presidential elections. His proposed campaign responsibility would place him at the centre of those efforts.
The arrangement remains part of an emerging structure, according to the report, rather than a fully detailed public campaign organogram.
Keyamo Tipped for Campaign Spokesperson Role
Meanwhile, Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo is reportedly being considered for a prominent spokesperson position in Tinubu’s campaign.
Keyamo served as a spokesperson and Director of Public Affairs during Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign. He also held a senior communications role in Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election campaign.
His experience includes government service as Minister of State for Labour and Employment under Buhari before his appointment as Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister under Tinubu.
Sources said Keyamo’s possible return to the campaign communications team could provide continuity with Tinubu’s previous campaigns.
His role would place an experienced political communicator at the centre of the campaign’s public messaging, if the proposed appointment proceeds.
Other campaign-related developments have included Yahaya Bello’s comments on his youth coordinator appointment and the announcement of his appointment as national youth coordinator.
The reported plans for Wike, Yari, Akpabio, Barau and Keyamo suggest that Tinubu’s campaign structure is being organised around several influential political figures with distinct responsibilities.
However, the final structure and the precise lines of authority will depend on the arrangements eventually adopted by the campaign leadership.
