Wike Reacts As APC Reject Rainbow Coalition
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, has reacted to the rejection of the Rainbow Coalition by governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that the coalition is not responsible for the party’s performance in the 2023 presidential election.
Wike said his focus for the 2027 general election is to mobilize support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election, rather than getting involved in political contests within individual states.
He made his position known in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
The statement came after the APC governors, led by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, warned against the emergence of parallel political structures that could undermine Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Wike, however, said the Rainbow Coalition has no connection with the APC, describing it as an arrangement through which politicians from different parties can mobilise support for Tinubu.
He also questioned Uzodimma over the level of support Tinubu received in Imo State during the 2023 presidential election, despite the APC winning some National Assembly seats in the state.
Wike pointed out that the APC won two Senate seats in Imo in 2023 even though Tinubu secured less than 15 per cent of the presidential votes in the state.
He also cited Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi, where APC candidates won National Assembly seats despite Tinubu recording less than 10 per cent of the votes in some of the states.
The FCT minister asked whether the voting pattern in those states was the result of a Rainbow Coalition or whether voters were simply exercising their choices differently in separate elections.
He maintained that his support for Tinubu in 2027 should not be interpreted as support for the APC in all other elections.
Wike said he never promised that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
According to him, his commitment is to mobilise support for Tinubu’s return as president, after which politicians can focus on elections in their respective states.
He urged politicians facing challenges in their states to resolve them locally instead of using the president’s re-election campaign to settle political disputes.
Wike further argued that modern politics should be based on genuine mobilisation and the ability to win votes from polling units, rather than relying on political arrangements or past positions.
He said the Rainbow Coalition was simply an effort to mobilise support across political parties for Tinubu’s second-term bid.
The minister added that the coalition had nothing to do with the APC and maintained that he would not be responsible for helping politicians win elections in their states.
