The emerging Rainbow Coalition backing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election is not a threat to the All Progressives Congress, APC, but an avenue to rally support for the president across party lines, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said.
Speaking during a media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike dismissed concerns that the coalition could unsettle APC governors or trigger defections from the ruling party, insisting that politicians do not have to belong to the APC to support Tinubu.
“I don’t know what concerns there are. As far as I am concerned, there is no problem,” he said.
Wike, who coordinates the coalition’s activities in Rivers State and the FCT, explained that the initiative brings together APC members and supporters of the president from other political parties to pursue a common goal.
“If you see that word, PBT/APC, it means those who are supporting the president who are not members of the party, together with the party, are working together to achieve that purpose,” he said.
He maintained that the coalition was not intended to weaken the APC, stressing that the ruling party remained the platform through which Tinubu would seek re-election.
“The major thing is Mr President. Whatever we are going to do, whoever has any idea or anything to contribute is to the success of Mr President. That is the whole thing,” he said.
To explain why political cooperation could extend beyond party affiliations, Wike cited the 2020 Edo State governorship election, recalling that he declined to support then-Governor Godwin Obaseki’s re-election bid despite belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party.
According to him, Obaseki visited him several times to seek his support, but he remained unwilling to back the governor.
Wike also argued that political alliances could influence electoral outcomes, maintaining that the APC would have found it difficult to win the Edo governorship election without the alliance that opposed Obaseki’s preferred successor.
He said politicians should not be expected to abandon their parties before supporting Tinubu, arguing that political differences at the state level should not prevent cooperation at the national level.
However, he warned that conflicting endorsements across presidential, governorship and legislative elections could confuse voters, stressing the need for political actors to make their positions clear.
Using the FCT as an example, Wike recalled appealing to political stakeholders to support Tinubu and APC candidates for the National Assembly while allowing supporters of other parties to back candidates of their choice at other levels.
He said political realities differed from one state to another, making it necessary to accommodate local interests while pursuing a common national objective.
Wike also cited Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, and Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, among political figures associated with the coalition’s state-level coordination.
He maintained that the arrangement reflected the realities of Nigerian politics, where politicians could cooperate at the national level while maintaining different interests in their respective states.
The minister said the coalition was focused on securing Tinubu’s re-election and sustaining what he described as the president’s achievements, urging Nigerians to assess the administration’s performance rather than allow partisan considerations to determine their judgment.
