2027: Rainbow Coalition mobilising for Tinubu’s re-election, not for APC

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has reiterated his Rainbow Coalition’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 elections.

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Mr Wike ‌‌‍‌‍⁠⁠‌‍⁠⁠‍⁠‌‌gave the assurance in a statement issued by his Senior Specialist Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, in Abuja on Tuesday.

The former governor of Rivers said that his support for Mr Tinubu was being channelled through the coalition, a multi-party platform he initiated to galvanise support for Tinubu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister’s comments followed a warning by state governors elected under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against creation of parallel political structures capable of undermining Mr Tinubu’s re-election.

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and chairman of Progressive Governors Forum made the declaration on behalf of the governors on Monday during a closed-door meeting in Abuja.

Mr Wike, however, explained that the coalition does not have anything to do with APC as erroneously perceived by some APC governors.

“The coalition is a platform for other political parties that are pleased with the good works of Tinubu and are supporting his re-election.

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“It has nothing to do with APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” he said.

The minister further said that the rainbow coalition was not initiated to help people to win elections in their states.

According to him, politics is local and those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using Mr Tinubu’s re-election bid to whip up sentiments.

He said he never met with APC governors before he and other members of the G5 supported Mr Tinubu in 2023, stressing that his support for 2027 elections is exclusively for the president.

Mr Wike, who said politics is about genuinely mobilising support and winning elections from the polling units, urged all Mr Tinubu supporters to focus first on the presidential election.

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“After the president is re-elected, we can all go and face elections in our various states.

“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the re-election of Tinubu.

“I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly elections.

“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,” he said.