Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to clarify his political allegiance amid his involvement with the Rainbow Coalition.
Lawal said Wike could not simultaneously align with the All Progressives Congress and other political parties, urging him to clearly state where he stands politically.
The governor spoke on Thursday in an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, has been linked to the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform backing President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
However, APC governors have rejected the coalition, with the Progressives Governors Forum, the umbrella body of the party’s governors, arguing that such an arrangement could undermine Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
Reacting to Wike’s involvement, Lawal said the FCT minister must choose between supporting the APC and aligning with other political parties.
“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,” he said.
Lawal added that the APC governors would maintain their position regardless of Wike’s response to the controversy.
“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,” he said.
READ ALSO:Zamfara Police Confirm Abduction Of Six Imams
When asked if the governors were effectively calling on Wike to defect to the APC, Lawal responded, “exactly”.
The Zamfara governor further disclosed that he would raise the issue with 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.”
The development comes after the PGF opposed the proposed cross-party arrangement involving APC members, maintaining that the coalition could affect Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Wike, however, has continued to declare his support for Tinubu’s second-term bid, describing the President’s victory in the 2027 election as his major political priority.
The FCT minister stated this on Monday in Abuja while speaking with journalists after inspecting ongoing road projects in the territory.
He also dismissed claims that the Rainbow Coalition was established to destabilise existing political parties.
Wike has also been linked with PDP candidates ahead of the 2027 elections in states including Imo and Kwara.