Isaac Samuel
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has said his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 remains unwavering, but insisted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is free to field candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
Wike made the clarification amid growing opposition from some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to his National Rainbow Coalition, which they fear could undermine the ruling party’s candidates at state and legislative levels.
In a statement on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the minister said he never promised anyone that the PDP would not contest other positions in the 2027 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,” he said.
Wike also dismissed suggestions that the Rainbow Coalition was an arrangement with the APC, describing it as a platform for politicians across different parties who support Tinubu’s re-election.
“Most importantly, 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 said.
The minister’s latest position comes against the backdrop of criticism from APC governors, particularly Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, over the coalition.
Wike had earlier accused Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, of working against him, while insisting that he would not allow political disagreements at the state level to affect his campaign for Tinubu’s re-election.
The former Rivers State governor said politics was local and advised politicians with problems in their respective states to resolve them rather than using Tinubu’s presidential bid to “whip up sentiments.”
“I won’t be the one to help people to win elections in their States. 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,” Wike said.
He also challenged those questioning his strategy to consider the voting pattern in the 2023 elections, when voters in some states backed different parties for presidential and legislative positions.
Wike specifically cited Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi, arguing that voters in those states supported APC candidates in some National Assembly elections despite voting for other parties in the presidential election.
He said the same pattern could happen in 2027, stressing that supporting Tinubu for president did not necessarily mean supporting APC candidates in every other election.
The minister urged political stakeholders to put the presidential election first, saying they could return to state-level contests after Tinubu had secured re-election.
His comments come as APC governors have publicly expressed concern that the Rainbow Coalition’s cross-party activities could confuse voters and weaken support for APC candidates while ostensibly backing Tinubu at the presidential level.
