Wike Defends Rainbow Coalition, Says It Is About Tinubu, Not APC Takeover

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has put his political position ahead of the 2027 presidential election in unusually direct terms, saying his immediate priority is securing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

Wike made the statement on Monday, September 21, while speaking with journalists after inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja.

“My concern is that the President will be re-elected for the second term. That is my concern,” Wike said, adding that he had made his support for Tinubu clear from the beginning.

His statement comes as questions continue to surround the Rainbow Coalition, a political arrangement involving figures from different parties who say they are working to mobilise support for Tinubu.

Wike’s Explanation

Wike rejected the suggestion that the coalition was designed to create an alternative structure against the All Progressives Congress.

He questioned why his political activities should automatically be interpreted as an attempt to position himself within another party.

The minister has previously said that his support for Tinubu does not prevent the Peoples Democratic Party from contesting other elections.

In an earlier statement, Wike said the PDP remained free to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections even while he mobilised support for Tinubu’s presidential bid.

That distinction is central to Wike’s argument: support for a presidential candidate, in his account, does not necessarily mean abandoning other party contests.

Why APC Governors Are Concerned

The dispute is not occurring in isolation. Some APC governors have questioned the political implications of the Rainbow Coalition, particularly if an arrangement outside the formal party structure begins to influence candidates and campaign structures.

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The disagreement has produced competing interpretations.

Supporters of Wike say the coalition is intended to bring together politicians from different backgrounds to support Tinubu.

An APC-aligned group has, however, accused Wike of seeking to undermine the ruling party’s structures, an allegation Wike has rejected.

Those competing positions illustrate the central political question around the coalition: whether a broad alliance supporting one presidential candidate can operate alongside an established party without creating competing political structures.

The G5 Shadow

Wike’s political history gives the current argument additional context.

Ahead of the 2023 election, he was one of the five PDP governors who formed the G5, which opposed the party’s presidential campaign structure at the time.

The Rainbow Coalition is now emerging in a different political environment, with Wike serving in a federal administration led by the president he supports for a second term.

But the exact structure, membership and electoral reach of the new coalition remain matters of political development rather than settled facts.

Wike has also said he intends to provide more details about the disagreement surrounding the coalition during a television appearance.

For now, his position is clear: Tinubu’s 2027 re-election is his stated political priority, while he rejects the claim that the Rainbow Coalition is intended to replace or destabilise the APC.

The competing political actors will ultimately define how the coalition operates as the 2027 election approaches.

ValidViewNetwork reports that Wike’s latest statement sharpens the distinction he has drawn between supporting Tinubu for president and maintaining political activity outside the APC’s formal structure.