Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, while insisting that the so-called rainbow coalition is not an extension of the All Progressives Congress.
Wike said his support for Tinubu remained firm but stressed that the coalition was simply a platform for politicians from different parties who wanted to mobilise support for the President based on their assessment of his performance.
The minister made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
Wike also denied making any commitment that would prevent the Peoples Democratic Party from fielding candidates in the 2027 governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the re-election of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections,” Wike said.
He maintained that his political support for Tinubu should not be interpreted as an alliance between the rainbow coalition and the APC.
“Most importantly, the rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” he added.
Wike argued that political calculations should be handled at the local and state levels rather than allowing disagreements over state politics to undermine support for the President.
“Politics is local, and those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using the re-election of the President to whip up sentiments,” he said.
The FCT minister recalled that he did not meet with the APC before he and other members of the G5 governors supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.
He said his position in 2027 remained focused specifically on helping Tinubu secure another term.
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“My support in 2027 remained solely for the President,” Wike said.
He also argued that winning elections required genuine grassroots mobilisation rather than relying on political arrangements or assumptions about voters.
According to Wike, the results of the 2023 elections showed that voters could support different parties at different levels of the same election.
He cited Imo State, where the APC won two senatorial seats despite Tinubu receiving a relatively low share of the presidential vote in the state.
He also referenced National Assembly victories recorded by the APC in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, where the party did not secure the same level of support in the presidential election.
“If in 2023, the voters in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi voted APC in the senatorial election and voted another party in the presidential election, they won’t be confused in 2027, provided we all support the President genuinely this time?” he asked.
Wike urged political stakeholders supporting Tinubu to concentrate their efforts on the presidential election before turning their attention to contests in their respective states.
“After the President has been re-elected, we can all go and face elections in our states,” he said.
His latest comments are likely to add to the ongoing political debate over the structure of opposition and pro-Tinubu alliances ahead of the 2027 general election, particularly over how politicians belonging to different parties will coordinate their presidential support while retaining separate interests in state and legislative contests.