Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has clarified that his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid does not amount to an agreement that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should withdraw from other electoral contests.
Wike said his commitment was specifically to mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election, stressing that he never promised that the PDP would not field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
The Minister stated this in a statement issued on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, while also dismissing suggestions that the “rainbow coalition” was an APC project.
According to Wike, the coalition is a platform through which members of different political parties who support Tinubu’s performance can mobilise votes for his re-election.
He said he would not allow the presidential election to become a vehicle for resolving political disputes in individual states, insisting that politicians facing challenges at the state level should address them locally.
Wike said: “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.”
The FCT Minister recalled that he and other members of the G5 did not hold discussions with the APC before supporting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, arguing that his present support for the President should similarly not be interpreted as an alliance with the ruling party.
He maintained that the political reality in 2027 would be determined by voters at the polling units rather than assumptions about political coalitions.
Wike said politics was no longer about the claim that someone could move from fourth position to become governor, but about genuinely mobilising support and securing votes across polling units.
He cited the 2023 elections in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states as examples of voters making different choices across electoral levels.
“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?” Wike asked.
“Was it rainbow coalition that also made APC to win National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu States where the President did not have ten percent of the votes?”
He further asked: “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?”
Wike urged political stakeholders to prioritise Tinubu’s re-election before turning their attention to state-level contests.
He said: “After the President must have been reelected, we can all go and face elections in our States.”
Reiterating his position, the Minister said his commitment remained limited to securing support for Tinubu and did not include an undertaking to prevent the PDP from participating in other elections.
“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,” he said.
Wike added: “Most importantly, rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is own way of mobilising support accross political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term.”
The clarification comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, with Wike maintaining that support for Tinubu at the presidential level should not automatically translate into support for the APC in governorship and legislative contests.
