Wike’s Compromise: FCT Minister Backs Tinubu For 2027 But Refuses To Bury PDP Local Ambitions!

ABUJA, NIGERIA — In a political chess move that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s opposition, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared his sacrosanct support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, while fiercely rejecting claims that he promised to dismantle his own party’s local ambitions.

Through a high-octane statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike drew a razor-sharp line between his personal loyalty to the President and the survival of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the state and legislative levels.

“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the reelection of the President,” Wike stated unequivocally. “I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections.”

The ‘Rainbow Coalition’ Weapon

Addressing fierce internal party friction, Wike introduced the concept of a “Rainbow Coalition”—a multi-party platform specifically engineered to gather cross-party support for President Tinubu’s second-term agenda. He vehemently insulated this alliance from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), clarifying that the coalition is built strictly on performance, not party alignment.

Wike fired back at critics attempting to leverage the national alliance for their own local political survival, reminding them that “politics is local” and mocking those who expect outside help to win elections.

“Politics is no longer about coming from fourth position to be governor,” Wike remarked, taking a thinly veiled swipe at his political adversaries. “It is about genuinely mobilising support and winning elections from the polling units.”

The 2023 Blueprint

Defending the feasibility of splitting a ballot, Wike pointed to the 2023 general elections as living proof that Nigerian voters are sophisticated enough to back Tinubu nationally while voting for opposition parties locally. He cited tactical anomalies in states like Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, and Enugu, where the APC captured major legislative seats despite President Tinubu pulling less than 15% of the presidential vote in those areas.

Wike’s final directive to political stakeholders was clear: secure the presidency first. “After the President must have been reelected,” the Minister asserted, “we can all go and face elections in our States.”