Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has urged Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) if he intends to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 presidential election.
Lawal made the statement during an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The governor said Wike could not simultaneously support Tinubu for president while backing candidates from other political parties in governorship and legislative elections.
He called on the FCT minister to clearly state his political allegiance ahead of the 2027 elections.
> “Be on one side. You can’t be in two sides. If you’re in APC, please come out and support APC,” Lawal said.
When asked whether APC governors were asking Wike to join the party, Lawal responded, “Exactly. What’s the essence?”
He also said he would discuss Wike’s political position with President Tinubu, stressing the need for a clear distinction regarding the minister’s political alignment.
The disagreement centres on Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party platform through which he has been mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election while maintaining that other political parties should remain free to field candidates in governorship and legislative elections.
Wike has repeatedly argued that his support for Tinubu does not mean he is endorsing APC candidates in other elections. He has also maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is separate from the APC.
Meanwhile, APC governors have opposed any political arrangement they believe could weaken the party or its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
Lawal also responded to Wike’s criticism of some APC governors as “lazy,” saying the FCT minister knew the governors he was referring to. He defended his administration’s performance in Zamfara and invited people to assess the state’s development for themselves.
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