Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has clarified his political position ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that his decision to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election does not mean he has agreed to join the All Progressives Congress.
Wike said his commitment is specifically to Tinubu’s presidential campaign and should not be interpreted as an agreement to abandon the Peoples Democratic Party or stop the opposition party from presenting candidates for other elective positions.
The former Rivers State governor made the clarification amid growing political debate over his proposed Rainbow Coalition, a multi-party platform being promoted to mobilise support for Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
His comments came after APC governors publicly rejected political arrangements they believe could weaken the ruling party or affect the electoral prospects of its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Wike maintained that there was a clear distinction between supporting a presidential candidate and becoming a member of the candidate’s political party.
He said he had never promised anyone that the PDP would withdraw from the 2027 contests for governorship, the National Assembly or state Houses of Assembly.
The minister argued that political support for a presidential candidate could exist across party lines without automatically requiring members of other political parties to defect to the ruling APC.
According to his position, the Rainbow Coalition is designed to bring together individuals and members of different political parties who support Tinubu’s re-election, rather than serve as an extension of the APC.
Wike said the coalition was therefore not an arrangement to replace the PDP or prevent opposition parties from contesting elections at the state and legislative levels.
The clarification has added another dimension to the political realignment already taking shape ahead of 2027, particularly because Wike remains a PDP member while serving in a federal administration controlled by the APC.
The minister was one of the prominent members of the G5 governors who opposed the PDP’s presidential campaign strategy in the build-up to the 2023 election and subsequently supported Tinubu.
He has maintained that his support for Tinubu in 2023 was not based on a formal agreement with the APC.
Wike said he and other members of the G5 did not meet with the APC before backing Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.
He argued that political alliances can be formed around individual elections without requiring the participants to formally join the political party of the candidate they support.
The latest clarification is particularly significant because APC governors have taken a different position on the matter.
The Progressive Governors Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, recently stated that APC governors would focus on supporting official candidates of the party at all levels.
The governors said they would not participate in or endorse political arrangements that could weaken the APC or undermine its candidates during the 2027 elections.
That position has created an emerging disagreement between Wike’s approach and the strategy being promoted by some APC leaders.
While Wike is advocating a broad coalition of political actors from different parties around Tinubu’s presidential bid, APC governors have emphasised the importance of maintaining the party’s structure and supporting its candidates in other elections.
Wike, however, has insisted that political contests at the state level should be treated separately from the presidential election.
He argued that politicians facing difficulties in their respective states should resolve those issues locally rather than using Tinubu’s re-election campaign as a way of settling their local political disputes.
He also maintained that politics is fundamentally local and that voters can support different political parties in different elections held on the same day.
To support his argument, Wike referred to the 2023 elections in several South-East states.
He pointed to Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi as examples where voters supported different political parties in presidential and legislative elections.
His argument is that there is no contradiction in a voter supporting one candidate for president and another candidate for senator or governor.
Wike believes the same pattern could occur in 2027 if voters decide to support Tinubu for president while backing candidates from other parties in state and legislative contests.
The position also explains why he has resisted suggestions that supporting Tinubu requires him to campaign for APC candidates across the country.
He said his own responsibility would be to mobilise support for Tinubu’s presidential re-election and not necessarily to help every politician seeking office under the APC platform.
The dispute over the Rainbow Coalition has become increasingly prominent as political parties begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.
For the APC, maintaining a strong and unified party structure is important because the party intends to defend its control of the federal government while also competing for governorship and legislative seats across the country.
For Wike and those supporting the Rainbow Coalition, however, the argument is that Tinubu’s presidential campaign can attract support beyond the APC’s formal membership.
The coalition’s proposed structure therefore presents a broader political arrangement in which individuals from different parties can support the president while maintaining their own party identities.
Wike has repeatedly described this as a practical political strategy rather than a formal defection to the APC.
The development has also generated questions about Wike’s long-term political relationship with the PDP.
Although he is serving under an APC-led federal government and backing Tinubu for 2027, he has not announced that he is leaving the PDP.
His latest statement instead reinforces his position that his support for Tinubu and his membership of the PDP can coexist.
The situation is particularly unusual because presidential elections often involve broad alliances that bring together politicians from different parties.
Wike’s position suggests that he intends to participate in such an arrangement without necessarily abandoning his party.
The political implications could become clearer as the 2027 election approaches and parties begin selecting candidates for governorship and legislative positions.
If the PDP fields candidates against APC candidates in various states, Wike’s support for Tinubu could create situations where politicians within the same coalition support different candidates at different levels of the election.
That possibility is at the heart of the disagreement between the minister and some APC governors.
The APC governors have expressed concern about arrangements that could create divided loyalties, while Wike insists that voters and politicians can make separate choices for separate elections.
The controversy also reflects the broader political realignment taking place across Nigeria ahead of 2027.
Politicians who previously competed against one another are forming new relationships, while established party structures are facing pressure from emerging alliances and coalitions.
Wike’s political position is being closely watched because of his influence in Rivers State, his role as FCT minister and his continued connection to the PDP.
His support for Tinubu has already generated significant discussion within the opposition party, particularly among politicians who believe the PDP should challenge the president directly in 2027.
The minister, however, has continued to defend his decision, arguing that political support should be based on individual judgment rather than rigid party loyalty.
He has also urged supporters of Tinubu to focus on winning the presidential election before turning their attention to contests at the state level.
In his view, political actors can cooperate on the presidential election while returning to their respective parties and local contests afterward.
The APC’s response indicates that some party leaders do not share that interpretation.
The disagreement is therefore not simply about whether Wike supports Tinubu. It is also about how that support should operate within Nigeria’s competitive multi-party system.
Whether the Rainbow Coalition can operate independently of the APC while effectively supporting Tinubu will likely remain a major political question as the election approaches.
For now, Wike has made his position clear: he says his commitment is to Tinubu’s re-election, not to joining the APC, and he has not promised to prevent the PDP from fielding candidates in other elections.
His latest clarification leaves open the possibility of a politically unusual arrangement in which a PDP member campaigns for the re-election of an APC president while still supporting his own party’s participation in governorship and legislative contests.
The development is likely to remain a major talking point as political parties and their leaders intensify preparations for the 2027 elections.
