FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has said his backing for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 is firm, but stressed that his support does not extend to stopping the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from fielding candidates in other elections.
Wike, in a statement issued Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said he never gave any commitment that the PDP would withdraw from governorship, National Assembly or State House of Assembly contests.
The Minister also dismissed suggestions that the emerging “rainbow coalition” is an initiative of the All Progressives Congress, APC, describing it instead as a platform through which members of different political parties can mobilise support for Tinubu based on their assessment of his performance.
Wike said his position ahead of 2027 remains focused specifically on the presidential election, recalling that he and other members of the G5 backed Tinubu in 2023 without first negotiating with the APC.
According to him, his support for Tinubu should not be interpreted as an undertaking to help political actors secure victories in their respective states.
He maintained that political disputes at the state level should be resolved locally rather than being linked to the President’s re-election bid.
“Politics is local and those having problems in their States should resolve them instead of using the reelection of the President to whip up sentiments,” Wike said.
The FCT Minister also challenged claims that the coalition supporting Tinubu would automatically determine the outcome of other elections in 2027.
He cited the 2023 elections in the South-East, where the APC won National Assembly seats in Imo, Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu despite the party recording relatively low presidential votes in some of the states.
“In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodinma, how did APC win two senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day with that of the President and APC had less than 15 percent in the presidential election? Was it rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?” he asked.
Wike similarly questioned whether the same voting pattern in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu could be attributed to a coalition, noting that voters were able to make different choices in presidential and legislative contests held on the same election cycle.
He argued that voters could again support Tinubu for president while choosing candidates from other political parties for state and legislative positions.
“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 said.
Wike urged political stakeholders to prioritise Tinubu’s re-election before turning their attention to the various state-level contests.
“After the President must have been reelected, we can all go and face elections in our States,” he said.
He further stressed that his commitment was to mobilising support for Tinubu and not to controlling the choices of political parties in other electoral contests.
“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the reelection of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections,” Wike said.
On the so-called rainbow coalition, he added: “Most importantly, rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is our way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term.”
