…as FCT Minister slams Imo Gov, Uzodinma, others
By Sanni Abdullahi
Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike has fired back at Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and other All Progressives Congress governors, declaring that his political support ahead of 2027 is strictly for President Bola Tinubu’s reelection and not for any state-level arrangement within the APC.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike dismissed insinuations that he made a commitment to prevent the Peoples Democratic Party from fielding candidates in governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
“I never promised anyone that the PDP will not field candidates in the governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections,” the Minister said.
“I won’t be the one to help people win elections in their states. Politics is local. Those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using the President’s reelection to whip up sentiment.”
The response comes amid growing discussions among APC governors about building what some have described as a “rainbow coalition” to deliver votes for President Tinubu across party lines in 2027. Governor Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressives Governors Forum, has been one of the leading voices pushing for cross-party support for the President.
Wike, a PDP chieftain who served as Rivers State governor before his appointment as FCT Minister, was a central figure in the G5 governors who worked against their party’s presidential candidate in 2023 and openly backed Tinubu. He said the G5’s decision was taken independently, without any agreement with the APC.
“For 2027, my support is for the President only,” Wike stated, adding that “We and other members of the G5 did not meet with the APC before supporting the President in 2023. That position remains.”
The former Rivers governor then shifted focus to how elections are won, arguing that the era of surprise victories and backroom deals is over.
“Politics is no longer about coming from fourth place to become governor,” he noted. “It is about genuinely mobilizing support and winning elections from the polling units.”
In a pointed reference to results from the 2023 elections, Wike questioned the logic being used by some APC leaders to demand a monopoly on support in their states. He cited Imo, Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu as examples where the APC performed well in legislative races despite the President polling poorly.
“In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodimma, how did the APC win two senate seats in 2023 in an election held the same day as the presidential election, when the APC had less than 15 percent in the presidential election? Was it a rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?” he asked.
“Was it a rainbow coalition that also made the APC win National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu States where the President did not get up to 10 percent of the votes?”
Wike argued that the pattern showed Nigerian voters are capable of splitting their ballots.
“If in 2023 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 genuinely support the President this time,” he said.
The FCT Minister urged political stakeholders to concentrate first on the presidential contest and deal with state politics afterward.
“After the President has been reelected, we can all go and face elections in our states,” he advised.
He further clarified his definition of the “rainbow coalition” being discussed within APC circles, saying it has no direct link to the ruling party’s structure.
“Most importantly, the rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC,” Wike said. “Rather, it is our way of mobilizing support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well and deserves a second term.”
Wike’s statement sets the tone for early positioning ahead of 2027, highlighting the tension between national support for the President and the competitive realities of state and legislative elections.
As a PDP minister serving in an APC government, his role has remained a subject of debate within both parties, but he has consistently maintained that his loyalty in the next presidential cycle is to Tinubu alone.
With political alignments already forming few months to the next general elections, the Minister’s comments are expected to shape conversations around party autonomy, voter behavior, and how much influence federal backing can have on down-ballot races across the country.
