Lawal asks Wike to clarify allegiance over coalition

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has asked the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to clarify his political allegiance amid his involvement in the rainbow coalition.

Lawal made the demand during an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The governor said Wike should clearly state whether he belongs to the All Progressives Congress or another political platform.

Lawal said Wike could not simultaneously support the APC and other political parties.

“Our message is very, very clear: be on one side, you can’t be on two sides,” he said.

“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.”

Lawal insisted that the APC remained his political choice, saying the party was united behind President Bola Tinubu.

“We maintain our stand and the message is very clear, APC all the way from head to toe,” he stated.

The Zamfara governor said he would raise Wike’s political position with Tinubu when the President returns from his working vacation abroad.

“It’s something I will discuss with the President when he comes back,” Lawal said.

He added that the governors were urging Wike to formally join the APC.

“Let there be a clear line where this guy belongs to. It’s either he is in APC or he is out, simple,” he said.

“So I go with my brothers, the governors.”

Wike has been associated with the rainbow coalition, a cross-party political alliance backing Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In January, the FCT minister said the coalition represented a shift from conventional party politics to a broader political movement aimed at advancing the interests of the country.

However, the Progressive Governors Forum has said it would not support alliances or political arrangements that could undermine Tinubu’s re-election bid or the APC’s candidates in the 2027 elections.

The latest comments by Lawal have therefore placed renewed focus on Wike’s political alignment within the ruling party and the wider coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.