FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, has alleged that some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors are resisting the proposed Rainbow Coalition because they want to control who emerges as the next Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives after the 2027 elections.
Wike made the allegation while speaking on TVC’s Journalists Hangout, where he also dismissed claims that the coalition was designed to weaken the APC or confuse voters.
The minister specifically mentioned Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in connection with the disagreement.
Wike maintained that supporting President Bola Tinubu for a second term did not mean that opposition parties must surrender their candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
He recalled that members of the G5 backed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election while their parties continued to contest other positions.
“In 2023, core leadership G5, we said we are going to support Mr. President. But we never said that all our candidates in other elections will fail. We never said so,” Wike said.
He cited Rivers State, where, according to him, Tinubu won the presidential election while PDP candidates won National Assembly and state elections.
“Particularly in Rivers State, we supported Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; he won the presidential election. But in National Assembly election and the state election, PDP won,” he said.
‘Governors want to dictate NASS leadership’
Wike alleged that some governors were interested in producing lawmakers who would be loyal to their preferred candidates for the leadership of the National Assembly.
“APC in their ongoing party primaries, the governors, in their own wisdom, believe that they should be able now to put senators or House of Reps members who they will dictate to who will become the next Senate President or the Speaker,” he alleged.
He linked the alleged political calculation to Uzodimma, claiming that some politicians who emerge through alternative platforms could refuse to support a candidate favoured by the governors.
“The fear now is that, if they run and they win, it means that they’re not going to support him to be the Senate President,” Wike said.
The FCT minister also declared his opposition to Uzodimma’s reported ambition to become Senate President.
“I will never support a character of Hope Uzodinma to be Senate President of Nigeria. Everybody knows that,” he said.
Wike insisted, however, that his position was based on political considerations and not a personal disagreement.
Wike knocks ‘confusion’ argument
The minister dismissed the argument that voters would be confused if politicians supported Tinubu for president while contesting other positions on different party platforms.
He said a PDP candidate could campaign for Tinubu while simultaneously seeking election to the National Assembly or State House of Assembly on the PDP platform.
“Who will be more confused? Is it not my own candidates that will even be more confused when I’ve told them to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and then again, they now go back to support other candidates?” he asked.
Wike also rejected reports that Tinubu had allegedly agreed to concede nine states to him or the Rainbow Coalition.
“The nine states, did they tell you the nine states?” he asked.
He challenged those making the allegation to identify the states and provide evidence of such an agreement.
“Let us help Nigerians. Let’s get the facts. Which are those states? Tell us that they said the President agreed with me that he’s conceding nine states,” Wike said.
‘We are selling Tinubu’s record’
Wike said his immediate political focus remained mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election, insisting that the President’s policies and achievements would form the basis of his campaign.
“Mr. President is showing his postcard. We are selling Mr. President what he’s been doing, why he should be re-elected,” he said.
He maintained that the Rainbow Coalition was not an APC structure and was not intended to undermine the ruling party.
The controversy over the coalition has continued to generate reactions from APC governors, who have said they remain committed to the party and its candidates while supporting Tinubu’s re-election. Recent reports have also documented the widening disagreement between Wike and some APC governors over the political arrangement.
