By Segun Adebayo
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has hit back at the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) over its rejection of the emerging political coalition, insisting that his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election does not amount to an endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in other elections.
Wike said his position remained clear: he would mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term bid but never promised that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections in 2027.
The FCT Minister, in a statement on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, also dismissed the suggestion that the so-called rainbow coalition was an APC project.
According to him, the coalition is a platform through which politicians across different parties can mobilise support for Tinubu based on their assessment of his performance.
Wike said he never met with the APC before he and other members of the G5 supported Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, stressing that his position for 2027 remains focused on the President.
“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,” Wike said.
He added: “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.”
The minister said he would not be involved in helping politicians win elections in their respective states, insisting that those facing political difficulties at home should resolve them instead of using Tinubu’s re-election bid to generate sentiments.
“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,” he said.
Wike also challenged the argument that supporting Tinubu in the presidential election must translate into automatic support for APC candidates in other elections, pointing to the voting pattern recorded in several states during the 2023 elections.
“In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodinma, how did APC win two senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day with that of the President and APC had less than 15 percent in the presidential election? Was it rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?” he asked.
He further cited the National Assembly results in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, where APC candidates won legislative seats despite the party recording significantly lower presidential votes in those states.
“Was it rainbow coalition that also made APC to win National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu States where the President did not have ten percent of the votes?”
The minister argued that the voting pattern demonstrated that Nigerians could vote differently in presidential and legislative elections, saying the same could happen in 2027.
“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 said.
Wike urged political stakeholders to prioritise Tinubu’s presidential re-election before turning their attention to their respective state contests.
“What I am saying is that after the President must have been reelected, we can all go and face elections in our states,” he said.
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