FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has rejected claims that his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election means backing APC candidates in other 2027 elections.
Wike said his support for Tinubu’s presidential bid does not prevent the PDP from fielding candidates in governorship and legislative elections. The minister also dismissed suggestions that the Rainbow Coalition is an APC platform. He described it as a coalition of politicians from different parties supporting Tinubu based on his performance in office.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike said he would not help governors win elections in their states. He argued that politicians facing electoral challenges should address their local problems instead of using Tinubu’s re-election campaign to create controversy.
Wike recalled that he and other members of the G5 did not meet with the APC before supporting Tinubu in 2023. He said the same principle would apply in 2027, with his support focused on the president.
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A Swipe at Others
Taking a swipe at Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, Wike questioned how the APC won two senatorial seats in Imo in 2023 despite receiving less than 15 per cent of the presidential vote in the state. He also cited the APC’s victories in National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, where Tinubu received less than 10 per cent of the presidential votes.
Wike said the results showed that voters could support different parties in presidential and state or legislative elections. He maintained that the Rainbow Coalition was created to mobilise support across political parties for Tinubu, rather than to promote APC candidates in other contests.
The minister urged political stakeholders to prioritise the presidential election. According to him, political actors can focus on their state elections after Tinubu secures re-election.
“I will mobilise support for the reelection of the President,” Wike said.
He continually stressed that he never promised that the PDP would not contest other elections.
