Toyyibat Qasim
Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to clarify his political allegiance, insisting that he cannot simultaneously support the ruling All Progressives Congress and other political parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
Lawal, who spoke in an interview with Channels Television on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, said members of the APC Governors’ Forum remained opposed to the cross-party political arrangement associated with Wike and known as the Rainbow Coalition.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, has publicly backed President Bola Tinubu’s bid for re-election in 2027 and has been associated with the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party platform comprising politicians from different political backgrounds.
The development has, however, triggered disagreement within the ruling party, with the Progressives Governors Forum rejecting the coalition, arguing that such an arrangement could undermine the President’s re-election campaign.
Lawal said the position of the APC governors was clear, urging Wike to decide where his political allegiance lies.
“Our message is very, very clear, be on one side; you can’t be on two sides. If you are in APC, please come out and support the APC, not you are supporting APC here and you are supporting some other political parties somewhere else,” the governor said.
Asked whether the governors were effectively asking Wike to join the APC, Lawal responded, “Exactly.”
The Zamfara governor maintained that the APC governors would not change their position regardless of Wike’s public statements.
“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 added.
Lawal also disclosed that he intended to raise the matter with President 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. So I go with my brothers, the governors,” he said.
Wike, on his part, has repeatedly stated that supporting Tinubu’s re-election is his major political priority ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The FCT minister made the position known on Monday in Abuja while speaking with journalists after inspecting ongoing road projects in the nation’s capital.
He also rejected claims that the Rainbow Coalition was established to destabilise existing political parties.
Despite his support for Tinubu at the presidential level, Wike has remained associated with PDP politicians and candidates in some states, including Imo and Kwara, adding another dimension to the political debate over his allegiance ahead of the 2027 elections.
The latest exchange comes amid growing realignments among political actors ahead of the 2027 general elections, with politicians from different parties increasingly forming alliances around presidential and state-level contests.
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