Governor says FCT Minister cannot support APC while backing a separate political coalition
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to clarify his political allegiance amid his association with the Rainbow Coalition.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, has been linked to the cross-party coalition backing President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lawal said Wike could not simultaneously support the APC and other political parties.
“Our message is very, very clear, be on one side. You can’t be on two sides,” Lawal said.
The governor said Wike should openly support the APC if that was where his political allegiance lay, adding that APC governors would maintain their position on the matter.
“We maintain our stand and the message is very clear. He can speak, he can say whatever he wants to say, but our position has been very clear, APC all the way from head to toe,” Lawal said.
Asked whether the governors were effectively asking Wike to join the APC, Lawal replied, “Exactly.”
He also said he planned to discuss Wike’s political position with Tinubu when the President returns from his working vacation in France.
“It’s something I will discuss with the President when he comes back. Let there be a clear line where this guy belongs to. It’s either he is in APC or he is out, simple,” Lawal said.
The comments followed the rejection of the Rainbow Coalition by the Progressives Governors Forum, the umbrella body of APC governors, which said a cross-party arrangement could undermine Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.
Wike, however, has maintained that supporting Tinubu’s re-election is his major political priority.
The FCT Minister had also rejected allegations that the Rainbow Coalition was formed to weaken or destabilise existing political parties.
Wike has meanwhile been associated with PDP candidates in some states ahead of the 2027 elections, including Imo and Kwara.