Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fully understands the objectives of the Rainbow Coalition, dismissing suggestions that the political alliance poses a threat to the President’s 2027 re-election bid.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor and prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) figure, made the remarks during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday night, amid an escalating disagreement between him and some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors over the coalition.
The minister specifically attributed sustained criticism of the coalition to Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Hope Uzodinma, alleging that Uzodinma’s reported ambition to become Senate President after the 2027 elections was behind the dispute.
Wike said the Rainbow Coalition was not intended to undermine the APC or prevent its members and supporters from pursuing their political ambitions in legislative and state elections.
He maintained that the coalition’s stated objective was to mobilise support across party lines for Tinubu’s re-election, while allowing individuals to contest for the Senate, House of Representatives, state assemblies and governorship positions according to their political affiliations.
“Mr President, everyone in all the states, support the President. You want to run for Senate, House of Reps, Governorship? It is your internal affair,” Wike said.
The FCT minister also dismissed reports that Tinubu had agreed to concede nine states to him as part of the coalition arrangement.
Challenging those making the allegation, Wike asked them to identify the states supposedly covered by the agreement.
“First of all, did they tell you the nine states? No, they didn’t tell me. You see, we owe Nigerians the truth. Tell them the truth. Which are those nine states?” he asked.
Wike argued that the coalition’s support for Tinubu did not require members to abandon their political interests in other elections.
According to him, it would be unrealistic to expect politicians supporting the President to refrain from contesting legislative or governorship elections.
Wike further alleged that some APC governors were opposed to the Rainbow Coalition because they wanted to influence the composition and leadership of the National Assembly after the 2027 elections.
He argued that the President needed lawmakers who would work with his administration rather than a legislature whose leadership could be controlled by a particular group.
“For Mr President to win, not only a party. It’s not only APC supporting President, PDP supporting him, Labour supporting him, this party supporting him,” Wike said.
The minister has previously said President Tinubu is aware of his political activities and the Rainbow Coalition. The APC Governors’ Forum, however, has maintained that it will not support political arrangements capable of weakening the APC or affecting its candidates.
Wike also defended Tinubu’s record on issues including state police and devolution of powers to sub-national governments.
He cited the President’s support for consideration of state police as evidence of his willingness to address issues that previous administrations had avoided.
“Mr President has taken the bull by the horns and said, state police should be considered,” he said.
Wike also praised what he described as Tinubu’s commitment to devolving resources and powers to states and local governments.
“I have never seen, with all due respect, a man who believes that power should go down, make the rural areas, local governments, state governments have funds to develop. I have never seen that happen,” he said.
Wike rejected suggestions that his activities were aimed at positioning himself to succeed Tinubu in 2031, arguing that the President would not be seeking re-election at that point.
He also dismissed repeated questions about his own political ambition, saying he had already achieved significant political milestones.
“By the grace of God, I don’t think there’s anything a politician wants today that President Tinubu has not made me to achieve. And people should stop talking about ambition, ambition,” he said.
However, Wike made his position on Uzodinma’s reported Senate presidency ambition explicit, declaring that he would not support the Imo governor for the position.
“Life or death, I will never support Hope Uzodinma to become the Senate President of Nigeria,” Wike said, adding that his position was political rather than personal.
He alleged that politicians who had lost out in APC nomination processes were turning to alternative platforms to contest the 2027 elections and that their emergence in the National Assembly could affect the calculations surrounding its future leadership.
The minister also criticised Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, whom he accused of engaging in what he described as propaganda against him.
Wike said he had no intention of becoming involved in disputes between AbdulRazaq and former Kwara State governor, Bukola Saraki.
“I don’t carry anybody’s fight. You have a problem with Saraki? You go and fight with Saraki,” he said.
The widening disagreement over the Rainbow Coalition comes as political parties and their support groups intensify preparations for the 2027 elections.
While Wike maintains that the coalition is principally designed to support Tinubu’s re-election while allowing politicians to pursue other electoral contests, APC governors have expressed concern that such cross-party arrangements could affect the party’s candidates and political structures.
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