The Minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced plans to inaugurate and lead the campaign machinery in Abuja and Rivers State to drive the re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu.
Mr Wike disclosed this in Abuja on Friday after inspecting the ongoing Kuje-Gwagwalada road dualisation project.
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He added that he would lead the campaign effort within the nation’s capital and extend the re-election operations to his home state of Rivers.
According to him, political parties across the spectrum are organising their ranks, and supporters of the president are prepared to initiate an aggressive campaign.
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“The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), I believe, is putting itself together for an aggressive campaign.
“For us who are supporting Mr President from different political platforms, we have put our machinery ready to kick-start.
“Very soon, I will inaugurate the campaign team for Tinubu in the FCT and Rivers, which I will lead.
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“All elements of the APC are ready, Mr President is ready, we are ready, and you can see the enthusiasm,” he said.
Loggerhead with APC governors
Mr Wike, a member of the opposition PDP serving in the APC-led federal administration, has been at loggerheads with the governors of the ruling party over the Rainbow Coalition floated by the FCT Minister, which he said is aimed at mobilising support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The governors, under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), led by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, opposed the coalition, describing it as a political arrangement that could undermine the APC and its candidates ahead of the general elections.
The governors also claimed that Mr Wike is deploying the coalition to support politicians who lost the ruling party’s primaries and are now contesting elections on the platform of the PDP, the minister’s party.
In response, Mr Wike denied the claim, saying the APC governors were opposing the coalition because they fear losing their elections. He also criticised their performance in their respective states.
The minister specifically listed Governors AbdulRahman AbdulRazak of Kwara State, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Uzodimma as the main opponents of the coalition, stating that they are doing so for “selfish reasons.”
With Mr Wike leading President Tinubu’s campaign in FCT and Rivers, it is not clear how that would be worked into the wider campaign structure for which the Imo State Governor is the secretary.
Development projects as main drive for support
Addressing critics and political opponents, Mr Wike argued that visible development projects would be the main driver of electoral support in the FCT, dismissing allegations of electoral malpractice in advance.
“People are happy, and I don’t know who will contest against the president as far as this election is concerned.
“This is governance, and this is what people expect. It will translate directly into actual votes,” he said.
Mr Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, expressed confidence that the administration’s infrastructure record would secure victory across the board in the FCT, including support for Philip Aduda, the APC candidate for the territory, as well as for the two House of Representatives seats.
“It is obvious. Nobody will be able to claim rigging in FCT. The ‘rigging’ is the projects we are delivering, making the people happy,” he said.
Commending the contractor and site engineers for the progress recorded so far, the minister assured stakeholders that adequate funding would be disbursed to ensure the project’s completion by December.
READ ALSO: Join APC if you want Tinubu’s victory, APC chairman tells Wike
“This is my first time getting to this side of the road, and I can see how highly populated this area is,” he said.
The minister emphasised that delivering functional infrastructure remains the cornerstone of good governance and public satisfaction.
“You can imagine the enthusiasm and happiness on the faces of the people. That is why we say the essence of governance is to make people happy.
“When the people are happy, those in authority are happy,” he added, expressing gratitude to President Tinubu for providing sustained support for capital projects in the territory.
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