Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has clarified that his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 does not mean the Peoples Democratic Party will abandon other electoral contests.
Wike said his commitment is specifically to mobilising support for Tinubu’s second-term bid, while the PDP remains free to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
He also dismissed claims that the emerging “Rainbow Coalition” was an arrangement with the All Progressives Congress, describing it instead as a platform for politicians across different parties who support Tinubu’s re-election.
Wike made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
“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,” Wike said.
He added that the Rainbow Coalition had nothing to do with the APC but was aimed at mobilising support for Tinubu across political parties.
“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.
Wike recalled that he and other members of the G5 did not meet with the APC before supporting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, stressing that his position for 2027 remained focused on the President.
“I never met with the All Progressives Congress before myself and other members of the G5 supported the President in 2023. And for 2027, my support is for the President only,” he said.
The FCT minister also rejected suggestions that supporting Tinubu should automatically translate into helping APC candidates win elections at the state or legislative levels.
He insisted that political battles in individual states should be handled by politicians operating in those states.
“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 pointed to the 2023 elections in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states, where voters supported different parties in presidential and National Assembly contests, arguing that Nigerians were capable of making separate choices on the same election day.
Wike questioned how the APC won two senatorial seats in Imo State in 2023 despite receiving less than 15 per cent of the presidential votes in the state.
He also cited APC victories in National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, where Tinubu received 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.
Wike urged political stakeholders to focus first on Tinubu’s presidential re-election, saying other electoral contests could be tackled afterwards.
“After the President must have been reelected, we can all go and face elections in our States,” he said.
He further argued that modern politics should be based on genuine grassroots mobilisation and votes from polling units rather than political calculations.
“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 said.
About the Author
