Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has challenged Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike to clearly declare his political allegiance, insisting he cannot continue supporting both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other parties through the Rainbow Coalition.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lawal said Wike’s involvement in the cross-party platform backing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid was untenable.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been linked to the Rainbow Coalition. However, the Progressive Governors Forum, the platform of APC governors, has rejected the group, arguing that endorsing candidates outside the party could undermine the ruling party’s electoral strategy.
“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 supporting APC here and supporting some other political parties somewhere else,” Lawal said.
He emphasised that APC governors remain united and will not be swayed by Wike’s position. “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,” the governor added.
When asked if the governors were effectively demanding that Wike join the APC, Lawal replied: “Exactly.”
Lawal said he plans to raise the issue with President Tinubu upon the President’s return 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. It’s either he is in APC or he is out, simple. So I go with my brothers, the governors,” he stated.