Wike: Tinubu Knows What Rainbow Coalition Is About

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has defended his Rainbow Coalition initiative, saying President Bola Tinubu is fully aware of its purpose and rejecting allegations that the arrangement could undermine the President’s 2027 re-election campaign.

Speaking on TVC on Monday night, Wike said the coalition is designed to mobilise support for Tinubu while allowing politicians to retain the freedom to contest other elective positions under their respective parties.

Wike, a national leader of the PDP, blamed what he described as sustained attacks on the coalition on Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, linking the dispute to Uzodinma’s reported interest in becoming Senate President after his tenure as governor.

“In a country like this, somebody whose tenure will be expiring in 10-11 months time, now because of wanting to change or cause crisis within the system, wants run for election to the Senate Presidency, and without telling people the truth, he Is now saying the Rainbow Coalition is a problem. How will the Rainbow Coalition be a problem? Mr President, everyone in all the states, support the President. You want to run for Senate, House of Reps, Governorship? it is your internal affair,” Wike said.

He argued that supporting Tinubu for president should not prevent members of the coalition from contesting for Senate, House of Representatives, governorship or state assembly seats.

“All they want me to do is to say, since they are supporting the President, nobody should run for National Assembly, nobody should run for State Assembly, nobody should run for Governorship. Where do you see that happening? Then they will call me to tell me, can we produce candidates of your party? Come on, who does that? No, sorry, I don’t,” he said.

Wike also dismissed allegations that Tinubu had promised to concede nine states to him as part of the coalition arrangement, demanding that those making the allegation identify the states.

“First of all, did they tell you the nine states? No, they didn’t tell me. You see, we owe Nigerians the truth. Tell them the truth. Which are those nine states? State A, state B, state C?” he said.

The minister said his activities were focused on supporting Tinubu’s re-election rather than pursuing a personal succession plan.

Addressing claims that he was using the coalition to position himself for the presidency in 2031, Wike said there was no basis for the speculation.

“By the grace of God, I don’t think there’s anything a politician wants today that President Tinubu has not made me to achieve. And people should stop talking about ambition, ambition,” he said.

Wike also praised Tinubu’s position on state police, saying the President had shown willingness to consider the devolution of powers to lower levels of government.

“Mr President has taken the bull by the horns and said, state police should be considered. People are saying, to solve our security problem, we must have a state police. Mr President has come out boldly to say, I am in support of what they are saying. We must implement it. How many people have done that?” he said.

“I have never seen, with all due respect, a man who believes that power should go down, make the rural areas, local governments, state governments have funds to develop. I have never seen that happen. I was governor. I know what I suffered.”

According to Wike, some of the resistance to the Rainbow Coalition is linked to concerns over control of the National Assembly leadership after the 2027 elections.

“For Mr President to win, not only a party. It’s not only APC supporting President, PDP supporting him, Labour supporting him, this party supporting him. You’re not happy. Simply because you know that you will not be in control. You are not going to be the one that will be in control of who will be Senate President? You want to make President to be a lame President. It will not work. President must still have that hand,” he said.

On whether he had reached out to some APC governors with whom he has disagreements, Wike said there was no need to do so because no specific issue had arisen.

“Why would the President call me, is there any issue? The President will call you when there are issues, when he knows, look, this will give me problems. Of course, he is President and a politician. Who doesn’t know him that he’s a master strategist in this game?” he asked.

Wike also criticised Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, accusing him of spreading propaganda against him and telling him to handle his political disputes independently.

“I don’t carry anybody’s fight. You have a problem with Saraki? You go and fight with Saraki. Why do you, as a politician, fall into the trap of Saraki? He (AbdulRazaq) carries propaganda every day against me.

“Have you forgotten all these people who fought me? When this fight was going on, they supported my colleagues and told my colleagues to deal with me, that enough is enough of me. My colleagues joined them. Now I have won. And now you want something from me? You say you want me to be a houseboy. Houseboy for what? That’s not possible. The point is that go and fight your fight,” he declared.

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