President Bola Tinubu has reportedly carved out a powerful role for Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike in his 2027 re-election campaign, placing the former Rivers State governor at the centre of efforts to secure votes in two politically strategic territories—Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory.

The move comes despite Wike's continued membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), highlighting the unusual but increasingly influential alliance between the President and one of the opposition's most prominent figures.

Sources familiar with the unfolding campaign plans said the arrangement is designed to capitalize on Wike’s vast political machinery and grassroots influence without requiring him to formally join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The development is also unfolding against the backdrop of growing tensions between Wike and several APC governors over who should control and coordinate support structures for Tinubu ahead of the next presidential election.

According to insiders, Tinubu’s camp believes Wike remains a crucial political asset whose influence in Rivers and Abuja could prove decisive in the battle for votes in 2027.

For months, speculation had swirled around the possibility of Wike taking up a top position within the APC’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC). However, the FCT minister has consistently dismissed suggestions that he was seeking the position of Director-General or any other formal role within the APC hierarchy.

Instead, he has repeatedly maintained that his mission is straightforward: deliver Rivers State and the FCT for President Tinubu.

Sources said the emerging arrangement effectively gives Wike official responsibility for coordinating presidential campaign activities in both territories while allowing him to remain outside the APC’s formal structure.

The broader campaign framework being assembled by Tinubu is also expected to differ significantly from traditional presidential campaign models.

Former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari is expected to serve as Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council. However, sources disclosed that not all key figures within the campaign will report through a single chain of command.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau are expected to operate within separate spheres of authority, reflecting their political stature and influence within the ruling coalition.

Political insiders said the structure is intended to accommodate multiple power blocs and influential stakeholders without creating unnecessary conflicts or struggles for control.

The same calculation, sources noted, is behind Wike’s proposed role.

Rather than handing him control of APC structures in Rivers or Abuja, Tinubu’s strategists are said to be focusing Wike’s assignment specifically on mobilising support for the President’s re-election bid.

Only weeks ago, Wike publicly declared himself the “General Commander of the Political Infantry,” insisting that he remained firmly in charge of political structures in Rivers State and the FCT.

“You do not need to be governor before you can be in charge. I am the General Commander of the Political Infantry; therefore, I am in charge. So also in the FCT. I owe the President to deliver these two,” the minister said.

That declaration immediately stirred controversy within APC circles, where some governors insist that elected governors should remain the undisputed leaders of party structures in their states.

The disagreement has since evolved into a wider political clash.

Wike has openly accused some APC governors of attempting to undermine him, specifically naming Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

At the centre of the dispute is Wike’s controversial "Rainbow Coalition" initiative, a cross-party alliance designed to mobilise support for Tinubu beyond the APC.

Under the proposal, politicians from different political parties would support Tinubu’s presidential bid while retaining the freedom to back candidates from their respective parties in governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections.

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The idea has been met with strong resistance from APC governors.

Speaking recently on behalf of the Progressives Governors Forum, Governor Uzodimma firmly rejected any arrangement capable of creating divided loyalties within the ruling party.

The governors maintained that their commitment remains solely to APC candidates at all levels and warned against political alliances that could weaken the party’s structure or confuse voters.

Wike, however, has remained unapologetic.

The minister has repeatedly insisted that supporting Tinubu’s re-election does not mean abandoning the PDP or preventing the opposition party from fielding candidates in other contests.

Political observers believe this fundamental difference in approach has become one of the most sensitive fault lines within the President’s growing coalition ahead of 2027.

Sources said Tinubu’s decision to clearly define Wike’s responsibilities is aimed at preventing the disagreement from escalating into a major internal crisis as campaign activities begin to gather momentum.

Wike’s relationship with Tinubu dates back to the 2023 presidential election when he and four other aggrieved PDP governors, popularly known as the G5, refused to support their party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Instead, Wike threw his weight behind Tinubu, a move that reshaped political alignments and triggered one of the biggest controversies of the election season.

Since Tinubu assumed office, the alliance has only grown stronger.

The President appointed Wike as FCT Minister, making him one of the most prominent opposition politicians serving in the federal cabinet.

Since then, Wike has emerged as one of the administration’s most vocal defenders, championing federal projects in Abuja and repeatedly calling for Tinubu’s re-election.

The arrangement is expected to be particularly significant in Rivers State, where political loyalties remain fluid despite the reconciliation between Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Sources said assigning Wike responsibility for Tinubu’s presidential campaign allows the President to benefit from the minister’s influence without dragging him into battles over APC leadership structures.

In the FCT, where Wike has built a highly visible profile through infrastructure projects and administrative reforms, the minister has already pledged to help Tinubu achieve what many ruling parties have struggled to do- win Abuja convincingly during a presidential election.

Meanwhile, Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo is also being tipped for a major role in the President’s campaign team.

Sources said Keyamo is likely to play a prominent role in campaign communications, leveraging years of experience as one of Tinubu’s most effective media strategists and public advocates.

A veteran campaign spokesman, Keyamo served as a key voice in Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign and previously played a similar role during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election bid.

His expected return to the campaign frontline is seen as part of a broader effort to assemble a formidable political team as the battle for 2027 gradually takes shape.