2027: If you don’t win your state for Tinubu, don’t say we’ve won, Wike tells APC govs
“I want to say, if you don't deliver your states and the president wins, don't say we've won. It's not a question of whether I am chairman, secretary or member of this. What is important is for the president to win,”…
Nyesom Wike, a former Rivers State governor and ex-PDP chieftain, has emerged as one of President Bola Tinubu's most visible political allies since his appointment as FCT Minister, despite not formally defecting from the PDP. His remarks to APC governors come amid early positioning for the 2027 general election, as the ruling party works to consolidate support across states ahead of Tinubu's expected re-election bid.
The comments underscore a recurring theme in Nigerian political campaigns: state governors are typically expected to "deliver" their states to the party's presidential candidate by mobilising structures, resources and local political machinery to secure victory margins. Wike's blunt framing — tying individual credit for a national win to actual performance in one's state — signals pressure on APC governors ahead of the polls, though the coverage does not specify which governors or states he singled out, nor any consequences for falling short.