RismadarVoice Reporters
October 13, 2026
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended the Rainbow Coalition established to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, dismissing suggestions that the arrangement is creating divisions within the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking during a media parley in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike explained that the coalition was designed to accommodate supporters of the President across political party lines without requiring them to join the APC.
He maintained that the initiative would expand Tinubu’s political support while preserving the APC as the platform for his re-election bid.
According to Wike, the coalition provides an avenue for members of other political parties to collaborate with APC supporters towards a common presidential objective.
He explained that the PBT/APC arrangement represents cooperation between party members and individuals outside the APC who support Tinubu.
Wike maintained that the President’s re-election remained the coalition’s principal objective, irrespective of the political affiliations of those participating.
The minister also rejected suggestions that the arrangement had generated serious disagreements among APC governors.
“As far as I am concerned, there is no problem,” he said.
He argued that political cooperation should accommodate differences in local circumstances, particularly where supporters of the same presidential candidate hold competing interests in state and legislative elections.
Citing the Federal Capital Territory, Wike said he had encouraged political stakeholders to support Tinubu and APC candidates for the National Assembly while allowing them to make independent choices in other electoral contests.
He maintained that such arrangements were not unusual in Nigerian politics, where individuals sometimes support presidential candidates from parties other than their own.
Wike also referred to political figures, including Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, while discussing the coalition’s coordination and support arrangements.
However, his remarks did not establish that the governors had formally accepted specific leadership responsibilities within the coalition.
The minister insisted that cooperation across party lines should not automatically be interpreted as an attempt to undermine the APC or weaken its internal structures.
His comments followed concerns about the implications of the coalition for party unity and the interests of APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
While Wike maintained that the arrangement presented no problem, questions surrounding its relationship with existing party structures and state-level political interests remain part of the wider debate.
He reiterated that the coalition was focused on Tinubu’s presidential ambition and encouraged Nigerians to assess the administration’s performance when making electoral decisions.
