Precious Nwonu, Enugu

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared himself the field commander for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT, pledging to coordinate political mobilisation in the territory and Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike made the declaration on Monday at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, where he announced plans to bring together members of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party to support Tinubu’s second-term bid.

The meeting also witnessed PDP candidates contesting National Assembly seats in the FCT expressing support for their APC counterparts, as participants agreed to collaborate on the presidential election.

“For the Presidency, all of us have agreed that it is Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I will coordinate the FCT and Rivers State. So you can imagine how important it is,” Wike said.

“I am in charge of the FCT election. I am the commander of field operations as far as the FCT election is concerned,” he added.

The gathering was attended by APC and PDP stakeholders, including party chairmen, serving and former senators, National Assembly candidates and political leaders from the FCT’s six area councils.

Wike urged members of the coalition to set aside party affiliations and work towards a common objective in the presidential election.

“I want to let all of you know that we are going to work together. Nobody should say, ‘I am PDP’ or ‘I am APC.’ For the purpose of this election, we are together,” he said.

The former Rivers State governor cited the 2024 Edo governorship election as an example of how political cooperation could shape electoral outcomes. He argued that alliances involving members of different parties could help achieve shared political goals.

However, Wike clarified that the arrangement was primarily aimed at securing Tinubu’s re-election, leaving participating parties to determine their positions on other electoral contests.

To justify his support for the President, the minister highlighted infrastructure projects and administrative reforms carried out by the Tinubu administration in the FCT.

He challenged political leaders to identify any of the territory’s six area councils that had not benefited from government projects.

Wike cited the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, the appointment of a Head of the Civil Service from within the territory’s workforce and the creation of the Women Affairs and Youth Development secretariats as examples of the administration’s achievements.

According to him, the reforms had improved opportunities for career advancement among civil servants and widened participation in governance.

He also listed road construction and rehabilitation, school renovations, police stations and other public infrastructure projects as evidence of the administration’s performance.

On the economy, Wike defended Tinubu’s reform policies, acknowledging that some measures had caused hardship but arguing that difficult decisions were necessary to address longstanding economic challenges.

“Changing the economy of a country is not like a prayer,” he said, noting that the benefits of economic reforms might take time to become evident.

The minister also backed the proposed establishment of state police, describing it as an important step towards addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.