Lawal to Wike: You can’t support APC candidates and other parties, clarify allegiance
Zamfara Governor Seeks Clarity from FCT Minister on Political Allegiance
ABUJA — Dauda Lawal, the Governor of Zamfara State, has called on Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, to clarify his political stance amid his participation in the Rainbow Coalition, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Lawal emphasized that Wike cannot simultaneously support the All Progressives Congress (APC) while endorsing candidates from other political parties. He urged the minister to take a definitive position on his political affiliations.
“Our message is very clear: be on one side; you can’t be on two sides,” Lawal stated. “If you are in APC, please come out and support the APC, rather than supporting APC here and other political parties elsewhere.”
The governor reiterated the collective stance of APC governors, asserting that Wike should either fully align with the APC or remain apart from it. “We maintain our stand, and the message is very clear. He can speak, he can say whatever he wants, but our position has been clear—APC all the way from head to toe,” he added.
Lawal indicated plans to discuss Wike’s political alignment with President Bola Tinubu upon the President’s return from a working vacation abroad. He urged a distinct declaration of Wike’s allegiance, stating, “It’s either he is in APC or he is out, simple. So I go with my brothers, the governors.”
Wike, affiliated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been linked to the Rainbow Coalition, which aims to garner support for Tinubu’s re-election while still permitting candidates from other parties to compete in upcoming governorship and legislative races.
The minister has asserted that the coalition operates independently of the APC and is designed to support Tinubu’s campaign without compromising other political parties’ candidates in the elections. This position has faced opposition from APC governors, with the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, declaring that its members will not engage with or endorse any political arrangement that could undermine the APC’s interests or its candidates for the 2027 elections.
The ongoing disagreement centers on whether backing Tinubu’s presidential campaign can coexist with support for candidates from rival parties in local contests. Wike has contended that supporting Tinubu does not necessitate abandoning those candidates, referencing the strategies employed by the G5 governors during the 2023 elections.
