Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the criticism of his Rainbow Coalition by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq goes beyond concerns about the political group allegedly weakening the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike made the remarks on Monday while speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing road projects in the Federal Capital Territory.
The former Rivers State governor said he would provide further details about the disagreement during a television appearance, promising to explain what he described as the underlying issues behind the opposition to the coalition.
The Rainbow Coalition has become a subject of political debate ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly because Wike has maintained his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election while remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Wike rejected suggestions that the coalition was designed to destabilise the APC. He said its immediate objective was to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election rather than pursue a personal political agenda.
According to him, the coalition has not directed its members to abandon particular candidates. Instead, he said, its focus is on encouraging PDP members and other politicians who share its position to support Tinubu at the presidential level.
Wike also dismissed speculation that the coalition was primarily a vehicle for positioning him for the 2031 presidential race.
He argued that it was premature to make such calculations, noting that political circumstances could change before 2031.
The FCT minister acknowledged that he remained an important political figure, recalling that he contested the PDP presidential primary in 2022 and finished second.
He questioned why his political activities should automatically be interpreted as an attempt to position himself for a future presidential contest.
Wike further argued that political parties and candidates could receive different levels of support from voters in the same election cycle.
Using the 2023 elections as an example, he noted that some states recorded votes for APC candidates in legislative contests even when the party’s presidential candidate did not secure the highest number of votes in those states.
He maintained that this demonstrated that voters could make different choices across different electoral contests without necessarily being confused.
The minister also rejected the argument that supporting Tinubu at the presidential level required him to support APC candidates in governorship, senatorial and other elections.
He said the Rainbow Coalition’s position was consistent with his stated decision to support Tinubu while retaining the right to participate in other political contests.
Wike has previously accused Uzodinma and AbdulRazaq of working against his political interests. Both governors are prominent figures within the APC, with Uzodinma serving as chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and AbdulRazaq heading the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
The dispute has intensified after the Progressive Governors’ Forum stated that APC governors would not support alliances or political arrangements that could undermine the party’s candidates at the 2027 elections.
Uzodinma said the governors’ campaign commitment was to official APC candidates at all levels.
Wike, however, maintained that supporting Tinubu’s presidential bid was separate from supporting every APC candidate in other electoral contests.
He said the political developments surrounding the Rainbow Coalition would become clearer once he gave what he described as a fuller explanation of the dispute.
The disagreement has added another layer to the political realignments taking place ahead of the 2027 elections, with Wike’s cross-party activities drawing criticism from some APC figures while attracting support from politicians dissatisfied with developments within their respective parties.
