{
  "id": 7558275,
  "title": "I won’t help anyone win elections in their states – Wike",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/i-wont-help-anyone-win-elections-in-their-states-wike",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-15T12:52:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/09/15/i-wont-help-anyone-win-elections-in-their-states-wike/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has stated that he will not assist politicians in winning elections at the state level. During a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike emphasized that his main focus for the 2027 general elections is to gather support for President Bola Tinubu's re-election. In the statement, Wike clarified that his backing for Tinubu's second term is steadfast, but he did not guarantee that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not field candidates for other elections such as governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly.\n\nWike stressed that politics is locally driven, and those facing issues in their respective states should resolve them without involving the President’s re-election campaign to generate unnecessary political sentiments. He added that the Rainbow Coalition, which he supports, has no affiliation with the All Progressives Congress (APC). Instead, the coalition comprises individuals from different political parties who believe in President Tinubu's performance and desire for him to be re-elected in 2027.\n\nWike recalled that he and other members of the G5 supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election without first consulting the APC. He reiterated that his stance for 2027 remains the same: to support President Tinubu and not to decide which political party should triumph in state-level elections. The minister also highlighted the importance of building political support from the grassroots level, citing examples from the 2023 elections in Imo, Abia, Enugu, and Ebonyi states, where voters supported various parties in both presidential and legislative elections.\n\nHe questioned how the APC managed to win two senatorial seats in Imo, despite receiving less than 15% of the presidential votes in the state. Wike also pointed out that the APC won National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia, and Enugu, even though they received less than 10% of the presidential votes in those states. He emphasized that voters are capable of separating presidential and state-level elections.\n\nWike urged political stakeholders to prioritize the presidential election and handle other contests after Tinubu's re-election. He reiterated that his support for Tinubu does not imply that other political parties would be barred from contesting elections at the state and National Assembly levels. Wike clarified that his stance is to mobilize support for the re-election of the President, and he never promised that the PDP would not field candidates for various elections.",
  "summary": "Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he will not help politicians win elections in their respective states. He stressed that his priority for the 2027 general elections is to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election. Wike made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on […] I won’t help anyone win…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Trust",
        "title": "Rainbow coalition: ‘I can’t help you win in your states’, Wike hits back at APC Govs",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/rainbow-coalition-i-cant-help-you-win-in-your-states-wike-hits-back",
        "published": "2026-09-15T13:47:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}