Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has told Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to clarify his political allegiance amid his association with the Rainbow Coalition.
Lawal said Wike could not simultaneously support the All Progressives Congress and other political parties, insisting that the former Rivers State governor must make his position clear.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, has been associated with the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform backing President Bola Tinubu’s bid for re-election in 2027.
However, APC governors have rejected the coalition, with the Progressives Governors Forum saying such an arrangement could undermine the President’s re-election campaign.
Speaking to Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lawal said Wike should choose where his political allegiance lies.
“Our message is very very clear, be on one side, you can’t be on two sides,” Lawal said.
He added that if Wike supports the APC, he should openly support the party rather than backing other political parties.
Lawal said the APC governors would maintain their position despite Wike’s comments on the coalition.
“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.
Asked whether the governors were asking Wike to join the APC, Lawal responded, “exactly”.
The Zamfara governor also said he would discuss Wike’s political position 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,” Lawal said.
Wike, meanwhile, has maintained his support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election, describing securing victory for the President as his major political priority.
The FCT Minister also rejected claims that the Rainbow Coalition was established to weaken or destabilise existing political parties.
Wike has, however, been associated with PDP candidates in the 2027 elections in some states, including Imo and Kwara.