Rainbow Coalition: “Politics No Longer About Coming From Fourth Position To Be Governor”, Wike Chides Uzodinma, APC Govs

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has hit back at the All Progressives Congress governors’ forum over its rejection of the Rainbow Coalition.

The former Rivers State Governor said his support for the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains sacrosanct, clarifying that he never promised that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would not field candidates in governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

Wike said the rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the All Progressives Congress, APC, describing it as a platform for members of other political parties who are pleased with the good works of the President and are supporting his reelection.

NAIJAONPOINT reports that the APC Governors, after a meeting in Abuja, resolved that their members would not support or endorse any alliance capable of creating “confusion, divided loyalty, or competing interests” within the ruling party.

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who is the chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, announced the position after the meeting, saying the forum remained committed to strengthening the party and protecting the interests of its candidates at all levels.

“The APC Governors Forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support, or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the reelection of Mr President, weakening the APC, or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels,” Uzodimma said.

But the Minister, while reacting in a statement on Tuesday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said he won’t be the one to help people to win elections in their States, noting that “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.”

He pointed out that he never met with the APC before himself and that other members of the G5 supported the President in 2023, and that for 2027, his support is for the President only.

“Politics is no longer about coming from fourth position to be governor; it is about genuinely mobilising support and winning elections from the polling units,” Wike said.

He queried: “In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodinma, how did APC win two Senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day as that of the President, and APC had less than 15 per cent in the presidential election? Was it rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?

“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 per cent of the votes?

“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?”

The Minister urged all stakeholders to put the presidential election first.

“After the President has been reelected, we can all go and face elections in our States,” he said.

“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the re-election of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

“Most importantly, the Rainbow Coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” he added.