The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed concerns raised by some All Progressives Congress governors over the proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike said the coalition was primarily focused on mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, while allowing politicians to contest governorship and legislative elections on their respective party platforms.
The FCT minister alleged that some APC governors were opposing the coalition because of their political interests, including calculations surrounding the emergence of the next Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Wike specifically mentioned Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, alleging that he was positioning himself to become Senate President after leaving office.
The disagreement follows the APC governors’ declaration that they would not support any political alliance capable of weakening the party or affecting its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Uzodimma had stated that the forum would support only APC candidates, rejecting endorsement of candidates outside the party.
However, Wike maintained that supporting Tinubu’s re-election did not require the Peoples Democratic Party to withdraw its candidates from other elections. He also dismissed reports that Tinubu had agreed to concede nine states to the PDP or Rainbow Coalition.
Wike further stated that his main political objective was to secure Tinubu’s re-election, adding that he would campaign based on the administration’s record, including its support for state police and the devolution of powers and resources to subnational governments.
The minister also said President Tinubu was aware of the Rainbow Coalition and that he did not expect the President to intervene by summoning members of the coalition and APC governors for a truce.
Wike insisted that the coalition was not designed to weaken the APC, arguing that politicians could support Tinubu for president while retaining their preferred candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
