Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) if he intends to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

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

The governor said Wike could not support Tinubu for the presidency while simultaneously backing candidates of other political parties in governorship and legislative elections.

Lawal said the APC governors had maintained their position that Wike should make his political allegiance clear ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said, “Be on one side. You can’t be in two sides. If you’re in APC, please come out and support APC. Not you’re supporting APC here and you’re supporting other political parties somewhere else.”

Asked whether the governors wanted Wike to join the APC, Lawal replied in the affirmative, adding that he would discuss the matter with Tinubu.

Wike, however, has maintained that his support is specifically for Tinubu’s re-election and not for the APC as a political party.

The FCT minister has defended his Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party platform aimed at mobilising support for Tinubu while allowing members to retain their respective party affiliations and support candidates of their choice in other elections.

The APC Governors Forum had earlier said its members would support only APC candidates at all levels in the 2027 elections and would not participate in arrangements capable of weakening the party or affecting its candidates.

Lawal also responded to Wike’s criticism of some APC governors as lazy, saying the FCT minister knew those he was referring to.

He challenged Wike to visit Zamfara and assess the development projects being implemented by his administration.