Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully aware of his political activities and the operations of the “Rainbow Coalition” ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the statement on Tuesday night during an interview on Arise News’ Prime Time, amid opposition from governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to his cross-party mobilisation in support of Tinubu’s re-election.
“There is nothing that I do that I don’t tell Mr. President,” Wike declared.
The FCT minister, who remains a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the Rainbow Coalition was being used to mobilise support for Tinubu across party lines. He stressed that his support was for the President personally and did not amount to support for the APC as a political party.
Wike also dismissed concerns raised by APC governors over his political activities, insisting that he was not accountable to them.
“I’m not answerable to APC governors,” he said.
He accused some of the governors of failing to understand the dynamics of Nigerian politics, saying his recent activities had demonstrated the extent of his political influence.
“If people fail to learn from other people, they don’t grow. I took 31 days to commission projects in the FCT and they are not happy,” he said.
Wike also criticised Imo State Governor and Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, over his opposition to the Rainbow Coalition.
“Hope Uzodimma should be lucky that I’m not in the APC. Hope fears for nothing,” Wike said.
He described the APC governors who addressed the media on the coalition as “smart but politically lazy” and questioned their interpretation of voting patterns in Imo State during the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections.
“When I look at the APC governors who held the press conference, I see some people who are smart but politically lazy,” he said.
Wike argued that despite Uzodimma being the governor of Imo State at the time, Tinubu received less than 10 per cent of the presidential votes in the state during the 2023 election. He added that the APC won two senatorial seats while the Labour Party secured one.
“Is he saying Imo people were confused, or were they not confused?” he asked.
The former Rivers State governor also referred to the political situations in Osun, Anambra and Abia, where governors from different political parties have expressed support for Tinubu, arguing that such support does not necessarily stop their parties from presenting candidates in other elections.
“The governors of Osun, Anambra and Abia States are supporting the President’s re-election. Won’t they still support the candidates of their parties in other elections? So where is the confusion?” he asked.
Wike further defended the political realignment in Rivers State, saying the Rainbow Coalition had helped reduce political tensions in the state.
“Because of our Rainbow Coalition, we no longer have Rivers of blood. There is no litigation on party candidates in Rivers State, unlike Imo State,” he said.
Asked about Tinubu’s prospects in other South-South states, Wike specifically mentioned Bayelsa, claiming that PDP members in the state were working in support of the President.
“That can happen in Bayelsa State. The whole PDP there is working for the President. The founder of the NDC is not the founder of Bayelsa,” he said.
Wike also expressed confidence about Tinubu’s support in the Federal Capital Territory, stating: “As I sit here today, I will tell you that the President will win in the FCT.”
The APC Governors’ Forum had earlier rejected political arrangements it said could undermine Tinubu’s re-election or weaken APC candidates at any level, setting up further disagreement with Wike over the role of the Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Source: Arise News
