Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has declared himself coordinator of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT and Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the declaration on Monday during a meeting of the Rainbow Coalition at his Abuja residence, which brought together political leaders, candidates and stakeholders from the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The former Rivers State governor said he would take responsibility for coordinating campaign activities in the two locations and urged members of both parties to put aside differences.
“For the presidency, all of us have agreed that it is Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am going to coordinate the FCT and Rivers State. So you can imagine how important it is. I am in charge of the FCT election. I am the commander of field operations as far as the FCT election is concerned,” he said.
He told the gathering that party affiliations should not interfere with presidential campaign plans.
“I want to let all of you know that we are going to work together. Nobody should say, ‘I am PDP’ or ‘I am APC.’ For the purpose of this election, we are together,” he added.
The meeting was attended by party chairmen, serving and former senators, National Assembly candidates and other political figures from the FCT’s six area councils.
A notable feature of the gathering was the reported decision by PDP National Assembly candidates in the FCT to support their APC counterparts, pointing to an understanding where members of the two parties cooperate in the presidential contest while retaining separate identities.
Wike made it clear that the coalition’s central objective was to secure another term for Tinubu, but noted that participating politicians could take their own positions on other contests.
Although he remains a member of the PDP, Wike has continued to support Tinubu, an APC president, since the 2023 general elections, a stance that has placed him at odds with sections of his party.
He defended the coalition against criticism, maintaining that it is focused on Tinubu’s presidential ambition and does not prevent members from contesting other elections on their platforms.
The minister had previously explained that the Rainbow Coalition was designed to bring together politicians who support Tinubu regardless of party affiliation.
His position has, however, caused disagreements within the APC, with some leaders expressing concerns about a parallel political structure that could affect the party’s control of campaign activities and candidate selection.
Wike also referred to the 2024 Edo governorship election, claiming collaboration between APC and PDP politicians helped prevent the then incumbent governor from installing his preferred successor.
The Deputy National Chairman of the APC, South, Dr Ben Nwoye, has rejected the Rainbow Coalition, warning that an arrangement allowing politicians to support Tinubu while backing candidates from other parties could create complications for the ruling party.