Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has drawn a clear distinction between his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election and the political ambitions of All Progressives Congress (APC) governors ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike said his commitment was to mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term bid, stressing that he never promised that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would abandon its candidates in governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
The former Rivers State governor made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
Wike also dismissed suggestions that the so-called Rainbow Coalition was an APC platform, describing it instead as a cross-party initiative aimed at mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election.
According to him, he would not campaign to help APC governors secure victory in their respective states, insisting that political contests at the state level should be handled by the candidates and their supporters.
“Politics is local and those having problems in their States should resolve them instead of using the reelection of the President to whip up sentiments,” Wike said.
He recalled that neither he nor members of the G5 governors met with the APC before supporting Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, maintaining that his position for 2027 remained focused on the President.
Wike also took a swipe at Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma while questioning how the APC secured two senatorial seats in Imo during the 2023 elections despite the party recording less than 15 per cent of the presidential vote in the state.
He similarly cited the APC’s victories in National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, where Tinubu reportedly secured less than 10 per cent of the presidential votes.
“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.
The minister urged political stakeholders to prioritise Tinubu’s presidential re-election before turning their attention to contests for political offices at the state level.
“After the President must have been reelected, we can all go and face elections in our States,” he said.
Wike maintained that his role would be to rally support across political parties for Tinubu, rather than guarantee electoral victories for individual APC governors.
“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the reelection of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections,” he said.
He added that the Rainbow Coalition was designed to mobilise support across political parties for Tinubu and had no formal affiliation with the APC.
“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,” Wike said.
