Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has rejected the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum on his proposed Rainbow Coalition, insisting that he never approached the governors for any political alliance.
Wike made the statement in an interview with ARISE NEWS following the decision of APC governors to distance themselves from political alliances they believe could weaken the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The governors, led by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, had said they would not participate in or support any political arrangement capable of undermining President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or APC candidates at any level.
They also said their campaign activities would remain focused exclusively on candidates sponsored by the APC.
Reacting, Wike said he had never sought an alliance with the APC Governors’ Forum, arguing that his political activities were focused on mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election.
“There is no day I went to the Governors’ Forum to align with any rainbow coalition — there is no such day. I was already talking about an alliance with a party. I have never, one day, gone to the APC Forum for an alliance,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor also dismissed the governors’ position as politically misguided and questioned their concerns about candidates from different political parties supporting Tinubu at the presidential level while their parties contest other elections.
He cited governors such as Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke as examples, arguing that supporting Tinubu for president does not necessarily prevent their political parties from fielding candidates for legislative elections.
Wike also criticised Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, accusing him of repeatedly making him the focus of political disagreements.
The FCT minister maintained that his support for Tinubu was separate from his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stressing that he had publicly declared his support for the President’s second-term bid.
He also clarified that the Rainbow Coalition was not an APC structure but a multi-party platform created to mobilise support for Tinubu’s presidential re-election. Wike said he had never promised that the PDP would not field candidates for governorship, National Assembly or state assembly elections in 2027.
According to Wike, political support for a presidential candidate does not automatically translate into support for candidates of the same party in other elections.
He further argued that APC governors should concentrate on securing support for Tinubu rather than using the President’s re-election bid as a basis for disputes with other political actors.
On his political future after Tinubu’s possible second term, Wike said political relevance should not be measured solely by occupying public office.
“Must you continue to be in a position of authority? No, certainly not!” he said, stressing that relevance depends on how a politician relates with the people and is perceived by them.
The disagreement between Wike and the APC governors comes as political alignments continue to take shape ahead of the 2027 elections, with the governors insisting on loyalty to APC candidates while Wike maintains that his coalition is primarily focused on the presidential election.
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