The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his commitment to supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, while clarifying that he never promised that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not field candidates in other elections, SavannahNewnow Reports.
Wike made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
According to the minister, his support for Tinubu is specifically focused on the presidential election and does not preclude the PDP from contesting governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections across the country.
Wike also dismissed suggestions that the emerging “rainbow coalition” was an extension of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it instead as a platform through which individuals and political parties could mobilise support for President Tinubu based on their assessment of his performance.
He maintained that he had not met with the APC before he and other members of the G5 supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, stressing that his position for 2027 remained centred on the President.
“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.
The minister further argued that political contests at the state level should be determined by local political dynamics, insisting that he would not allow the presidential election to become a vehicle for resolving political disputes in individual 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,” he said.
Wike cited the 2023 elections in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states as evidence that voters could support different political parties in presidential and legislative elections held on the same day.
He questioned how the APC won two senatorial seats in Imo State in 2023 despite securing less than 15 per cent of the presidential vote in the state, asking whether such voting patterns could genuinely be attributed to a “rainbow coalition.”
He also referenced APC victories in National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, where Tinubu reportedly secured less than 10 per cent of the presidential votes, arguing that voters were capable of making independent choices across different ballots.
According to Wike, the priority for political stakeholders should be ensuring Tinubu’s re-election before turning attention to state-level contests.
“After the President must have been re-elected, we can all go and face elections in our states,” he said.
The FCT minister also rejected the notion that political success should be measured by unconventional routes to power, stressing that genuine grassroots mobilisation and electoral strength at polling units remain critical.
He said: “Politics is no longer about coming from fourth position to be governor. It is about genuinely mobilising support and winning elections from the polling units.”
Wike reiterated that the rainbow coalition was not an APC project but an avenue for supporters across political parties to work towards 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 added.
