In a major political realignment, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has brokered a cross-party arrangement under his Rainbow Coalition framework, leading Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Assembly candidates in Abuja to step down and declare open support for their All Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts.
Addressing party stakeholders and candidates at a high-level meeting in Abuja, the minister explained that the move stems from a pragmatic calculation that challenging the ruling party in the nation’s capital makes no political sense, given that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu resides and holds his primary operational base in the territory.
Wike emphasized that conceding the FCT’s Senatorial and House of Representatives seats to the ruling party safeguards President Tinubu’s home turf, while allowing his camp to maintain strategic political influence and secure electoral slots for his loyalists under the PDP banner in Rivers State to affirm his standing as a national party leader.
Concurrently, confirmed sources said the minister is actively seeking to downplay his public friction with APC governors, led by Progress Governors Forum chairman Hope Uzodinma, who have raised concerns over the overreaching influence of the Rainbow Coalition.
Dismissing fears that he harbors hidden long-term political ambitions or a secret agenda that threatens ruling party leaders, Wike insisted that his cross-party engagements are aimed strictly at consolidating support for President Tinubu’s administration rather than building a personal empire.
Declaring himself the operational commander of the presidential campaign in both the FCT and Rivers State, the minister called on cross-party stakeholders to unite behind President Tinubu’s re-election bid while aligning their legislative strategies to secure a smooth victory.
Adding further weight to these political maneuvers, Wike will also be formally inaugurated tomorrow as part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s APC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, where he will officially serve as the coordinator in charge of both the Federal Capital Territory and his political base in Rivers State.
