Why Uzodinma, Abdulrazaq are after me – Wike
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has revealed why Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, are opposed to his Rainbow Coalition.
Wike said the governors’ opposition to the political arrangement was not mainly because they believed it could destabilise the All Progressives Congress.
He explained that the disagreement was linked to political interests surrounding the 2027 elections and the future leadership of the National Assembly.
Wike said he was not currently positioning himself for the 2031 presidential election, describing such speculation as premature.
He, however, noted that the issue of succession would eventually become a major political discussion because President Bola Tinubu would not be able to contest for another presidential term after 2027 if he wins re-election.
The FCT minister also referred to his participation in the 2022 PDP presidential primary, where he finished second, saying his experience in Nigerian politics made him aware of the interests and calculations of political actors.
Wike maintained that his immediate concern was Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 and rejected claims that the Rainbow Coalition was designed to work against the President or destabilise the APC.
He explained that the coalition was encouraging people who were not APC members but supported Tinubu to vote for him in the presidential election.
According to him, supporting Tinubu for president does not necessarily mean that members of the coalition must support APC candidates in every other election.
Wike also referred to the G5 governors’ role during the 2023 election, when the group supported Tinubu’s presidential bid while operating separately from the APC in other political contests.
The minister said the same political arrangement should not now be presented as a threat to the APC, particularly since Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election and the APC secured control of the National Assembly.
He said the real issue behind the opposition to the Rainbow Coalition would become clearer to Nigerians, insisting that there were political interests that had not been openly discussed.
Wike’s position has, however, faced criticism from politicians close to the two governors.
A former APC member in Kwara State, Tajudeen Olesin, said the disagreement between Wike and the governors was connected to their political interests.
Olesin alleged that Uzodinma was interested in becoming Senate President in 2027 after completing his tenure as governor of Imo State.
He also claimed that Wike was backing the return of the current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, rather than supporting Uzodinma’s alleged interest in the position.
However, Special Adviser on Party Affairs to the Kwara State governor, Mashood Alaka, offered a different explanation for the disagreement.
Alaka alleged that Wike was using the Rainbow Coalition to build a political network that could position him for the 2031 presidential election.
He argued that Wike’s support for Tinubu’s re-election, while remaining a member of the opposition PDP and supporting candidates outside the APC in other elections, raised questions about the long-term purpose of the coalition.
Alaka said Wike should either remain within the PDP and operate as an opposition politician or formally join the APC if he intended to work within its political structure.
He also questioned the impact of the coalition on the APC’s chances of retaining control of the National Assembly in 2027.
The Kwara governor’s aide maintained that the APC had its own structures and did not need the Rainbow Coalition to secure Tinubu’s re-election.
Meanwhile, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, rejected the suggestion that the FCT minister was building the coalition for a 2031 presidential bid.
Olayinka argued that the political calculations surrounding 2031 would depend largely on the issue of power rotation between the northern and southern parts of the country.
He also dismissed concerns about Wike’s support for Tinubu while remaining in the PDP, saying the outcome of the 2027 elections would determine the composition of the National Assembly and the emergence of its presiding officers.
