I’m Not Answerable To APC Governors, Tinubu Knows All About My Rainbow Coalition – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully aware of his political activities and the operations of the “Rainbow Coalition” ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike made the disclosure on Tuesday night during an interview on Arise News’ Prime Time, amid growing opposition from governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to his cross-party mobilisation for Tinubu’s re-election.

“There is nothing that I do that I don’t tell Mr. President,” Wike declared.

The FCT minister, who remains a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the Rainbow Coalition was being used to mobilise support for Tinubu across party lines, stressing that his support was specifically for the President and not the APC as a political party.

Wike also maintained that he was not answerable to APC governors, dismissing their concerns over his political activities.

“I’m not answerable to APC governors,” he said.

He accused some of the governors of failing to understand the dynamics of Nigerian politics, saying his recent activities had demonstrated the extent of his political reach.

“If people fail to learn from other people, they don’t grow. I took 31 days to commission projects in the FCT and they are not happy,” he said.

Wike also took aim at Imo State Governor and Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, over his opposition to the Rainbow Coalition.

“Hope Uzodimma should be lucky that I’m not in the APC. Hope fears for nothing,” Wike said.

He described the APC governors who addressed the media on the coalition as “smart but politically lazy,” questioning their interpretation of the voting pattern in Imo State during the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections.

“When I look at the APC governors who held the press conference, I see some people who are smart but politically lazy,” he said.

Wike argued that despite Uzodimma being governor of Imo State at the time, Tinubu secured less than 10 per cent of the presidential votes in the state in 2023, while the APC won two senatorial seats and the Labour Party won one.

“Is he saying Imo people were confused, or were they not confused?” he asked.

The former Rivers State governor similarly cited the political situations in Osun, Anambra and Abia, where governors on different party platforms have expressed support for Tinubu, arguing that such support does not necessarily prevent their parties from fielding candidates for other elective positions.

“The governors of Osun, Anambra and Abia States are supporting the President’s re-election. Won’t they still support the candidates of their parties in other elections? So where is the confusion?” he asked.

Wike also defended the political realignment in Rivers State, saying the Rainbow Coalition had contributed to a reduction in political tensions in the state.

“Because of our Rainbow Coalition, we no longer have Rivers of blood. There is no litigation on party candidates in Rivers State, unlike Imo State,” he said.

Asked about the prospects of Tinubu in other South-South states, Wike singled out Bayelsa, claiming that members of the PDP in the state were working for the President.

“That can happen in Bayelsa State. The whole PDP there is working for the President. The founder of the NDC is not the founder of Bayelsa,” he said.

Wike also expressed confidence in Tinubu’s support in the Federal Capital Territory, declaring: “As I sit here today, I will tell you that the President will win in the FCT.”

The APC Governors’ Forum had earlier rejected political arrangements that it said could undermine Tinubu’s re-election or weaken APC candidates at any level, setting the stage for a fresh political confrontation with Wike over the role and direction of the Rainbow Coalition ahead of 2027.