The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Monday dismissed concerns by some governors of the All Progressives Congress that the proposed Rainbow Coalition could undermine the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, Wike said the coalition was primarily aimed at mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and would not prevent politicians from contesting governorship and legislative elections on their respective party platforms.
The minister alleged that the opposition of some APC governors to the coalition was driven by their political interests, particularly attempts to influence the emergence of the next Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Wike specifically alleged that Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, was positioning himself to become Senate President after leaving office.
His comments came days after APC governors declared that they would not support any political alliance capable of weakening the party or affecting its candidates at any level in the 2027 elections.
Uzodimma, at a meeting of APC governors in Abuja, said the forum would exclusively support APC candidates and would not endorse candidates outside the party.
Wike, however, argued that supporting Tinubu for President did not amount to an agreement to abandon candidates of other political parties in governorship and legislative elections.
He cited the experience of the G5 governors during the 2023 elections, saying members of the group supported Tinubu for President while their parties retained their candidates for other elective positions.
“In 2023, core leadership G5, we said we are going to support Mr President. But we never said that all our candidates in other elections will fail. We never said so,” Wike said.
He added, “Particularly in Rivers State, we supported Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; he won the presidential election. But in National Assembly election and the state election, PDP won.”
According to the minister, a similar arrangement could operate in 2027, with politicians supporting Tinubu for President while backing candidates of their preferred parties in governorship and legislative contests.
He rejected claims that such an arrangement would confuse voters, arguing that Nigerians had previously demonstrated their ability to vote across party lines.
Wike said, “Who will be more confused? Is it not my own candidates that will even be more confused when I’ve told them to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and then again, they now go back to support other candidates?”
The minister alleged that some APC governors were concerned that politicians denied tickets by the ruling party could seek alternative platforms, win their elections and subsequently refuse to support candidates favoured by the governors.
He said the governors were seeking to influence the composition of the next National Assembly in order to determine who would emerge as its presiding officers.
“APC in their ongoing party primaries, the governors, in their own wisdom, believe that they should be able now to put senators or House of Reps members who they will dictate to who will become the next Senate President or the Speaker,” he alleged.
Wike said politicians who lost APC tickets could defect to the Peoples Democratic Party or other opposition platforms, win their elections and subsequently refuse to support the candidate preferred by the governors for Senate President or Speaker.
“The fear now is that, if they run and they win, it means that they’re not going to support him to be the Senate President,” he said.
The FCT minister then directly addressed the reported ambition of Uzodimma to emerge as Senate President.
“Mr. President will be inaugurated by May 29. This man’s office will expire by January, February 2028.
“Now, he wants to leave his office to run for Senate. Now, what does that mean? He wants to run for Senate President. Now, what he does is to say to his colleagues, ‘Look, let us, the governors, be the ones that will produce the senators that will produce members of the House of Representatives.
“And of course, some of the governors are not experienced. They buy in, thinking it’s going to make them powerful, not knowing that he has his own interests, his own agenda, to become Senate President,” Wike said.
Wike insisted that he would not support the Imo State governor for the position.
“Life or death, I will never support a character of Hope Uzodimma to be the Senate President of Nigeria. Everybody knows that,” the minister stated.
He, however, maintained that his position was not personal, arguing that the political calculations surrounding the 2027 elections should be examined on their merits rather than reduced to a dispute between individuals.
Wike also alleged that some governors were putting pressure on him because of his decision to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party while supporting Tinubu’s re-election.
He maintained that his support for the President did not require the PDP to withdraw or abandon its candidates in other elections.
The FCT minister also dismissed reports that Tinubu had agreed to concede nine states to the PDP or the Rainbow Coalition as part of a political arrangement ahead of the 2027 elections.
Challenging those behind the claim to identify the states allegedly covered by the arrangement, Wike said, “The nine states, did they tell you the nine states?”
He added, “Let us help Nigerians. Let’s get the facts. Who are… which are those states? Tell us. That they said the President agreed with me that he has conceded nine states.”
Wike said his primary political objective was to secure Tinubu’s re-election, adding that he would campaign on the administration’s record.
He cited the President’s support for state police and what he described as the devolution of resources and powers to sub-national governments as some of the issues he would highlight in making a case for Tinubu’s re-election.
“Mr. President is showing his postcard. We are selling Mr. President what he’s been doing, why he should be re-elected,” he said.
Wike further disclosed that Tinubu was aware of the Rainbow Coalition, saying he did not expect the President to intervene by summoning members of the coalition and the APC governors for a truce.
According to him, Tinubu understood his political activities and had been aware of his position on the coalition.
“As I speak to you here, Mr. President knows about my concept, of the rainbow coalition…. Mr. President understands me very well,” Wike said.
He maintained that the coalition was not designed to take over or weaken the APC, arguing that politicians could support Tinubu for President while retaining their preferred party candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
The dispute followed the September 15 position of the APC Governors Forum that its members would neither participate in nor support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election, weakening the APC or adversely affecting its candidates.
Uzodimma, who read the forum’s communique, said the governors’ campaign commitment would be exclusively to APC candidates at all levels.
Wike, however, has continued to argue that the governors’ opposition to the coalition is driven by their political calculations rather than concerns about Tinubu’s re-election.
He had previously accused Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, of spearheading opposition to the coalition.
The APC governors, however, have maintained publicly that their position is aimed at protecting the party, its candidates and Tinubu’s re-election, while rejecting support for candidates outside the APC.
Wike nevertheless insisted that the Rainbow Coalition would continue to mobilise support for Tinubu across party lines, arguing that the presidential contest should not be conflated with governorship and legislative elections.
Efforts by our correspondent to obtain a reaction from the All Progressives Congress National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls placed to his phone.
However, sources within the ruling party told The PUNCH that the National Working Committee was already working behind the scenes to broker a truce, and ensure both parties ended the feud ahead of next year’s polls.
The peace deal is expected to take place with the return of the APC national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who is scheduled to return from vacation soon.
“The party is leaving nothing to chance. Preparations are well underway, and once the national chairman returns at the beginning of the week, he will lead the NWC to meet with the President and discuss the best way to resolve the matter,” the party source said.
Source: punchng.com
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