Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has insisted that his multi-party Rainbow Coalition will remain in place ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, dismissing calls for him to abandon the platform.
Wike made the declaration on Tuesday during a media chat with select journalists in Abuja, reiterating his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid while maintaining that he had made no such commitment to any state governor.
“What I’ve said to Nigerians and to Almighty God is, ‘I’m going to support Tinubu for him to realise his second-term ambition.’ I did not promise any governor. And two, let me tell you, no governor can say Wike has come to him for this and this,” the minister said.
He cited his support for some All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates despite his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), using Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as an example.
“Some of the governors there, I supported him, but I gave this example now about Hope [Uzodimma of Imo State], so you know that people cannot just come and accuse you. I don’t do that. If you have any problem with me, come out back and face Wike. Don’t go on under the Rainbow Coalition. For the Rainbow Coalition, it has come. It will stay. There’s nothing anybody can do about it,” he said.
Wike’s position comes amid growing criticism from some APC governors, who have urged him to clarify his political allegiance or leave the PDP and formally join the ruling party.
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal said Wike should not support the APC while maintaining links with other political parties.
“Our message is very very clear: be on one side. You can’t be on two sides. If you are in APC, please come out and support the APC, not you are supporting APC here, and you are supporting some other political parties somewhere else,” Lawal said during an appearance on Channels Television’s Inside Sources.
He added that the governors remained firm in their position, insisting that their support was exclusively for the APC.
“We maintain our stand, and the message is very clear. He can speak; he can say whatever he wants to say, but our position has been very clear: APC all the way from head to toe,” he said.
The Rainbow Coalition is a cross-party political platform intended to mobilise support for Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027. Wike has maintained that his backing is directed at the President’s re-election rather than a broader commitment to individual governors.
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