Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticised governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing them as politically lazy over their opposition to the Rainbow Coalition.
Wike made the remarks during an appearance on Arise News’ *Prime Time* programme, where he defended the coalition and addressed concerns raised by the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), the umbrella body of APC governors.
The PGF, chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, had opposed political arrangements that could weaken the APC or affect its candidates in the 2027 general election.
Uzodimma said the governors would not support any arrangement capable of creating divided loyalty or undermining the party.
However, Wike said opposition to his political activities began before the formation of the Rainbow Coalition, tracing it to President Bola Tinubu’s decision to appoint him as FCT minister.
“Let me tell you, all these things that you are seeing, it didn’t start today. It started with my ministerial appointment,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said Tinubu was aware of his political activities and the coalition.
“There is nothing that I do that I don’t tell Mr President,” he said.
Wike explained that the Rainbow Coalition was formed to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election across political party lines. He maintained that supporting the president did not mean supporting the APC as a party.
According to him, he had never approached the APC or the PGF to negotiate an alliance between the parties.
“There’s no day I went to the Governors’ Forum to align between both coalitions. There’s no day,” he said.
Wike referred to the G5, a group of five PDP governors that supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, as an example of how politicians could back a presidential candidate without forming an alliance with the candidate’s party.
“When the G5 came out to support the president, is there any time we held meetings with their Governors Progressive Forum or with their party? We met with Mr President and told Mr President we are going to support you,” he said.
He argued that the 2023 election demonstrated that voters could support candidates from different political parties in presidential and legislative elections held on the same day.
Wike cited Imo State, where he said Tinubu received less than 10 percent of the presidential votes while APC candidates won two senatorial seats and the Labour Party secured one.
He also cited Ebonyi State, saying Tinubu lost the presidential election there while APC candidates won all three senatorial seats.
“An election that was held the same day. What happened that the electorate knew how to vote for the president of the Labour Party and they voted for APC at the National Assembly election?” he asked.
The minister said governors supporting Tinubu’s re-election could still back candidates of their respective parties in other elections.
He rejected suggestions that the Rainbow Coalition was intended to expand his personal political influence.
Wike also dismissed the idea that he was answerable to APC governors, saying his responsibility as FCT minister was to deliver projects in the capital.
“I’m not answerable to APC governors,” he said.
He further criticised the APC governors who addressed the media over the coalition, describing them as “smart” but “politically lazy”.
“The governors of Osun, Anambra and Abia states are supporting the president’s re-election. Won’t they still support the candidates of their parties in other elections? So where is the confusion?” he asked.
Wike questioned Uzodimma’s political record in Imo State, referring to Tinubu’s performance in the 2023 presidential election and the outcome of the senatorial contests.
He also said the political arrangement in Rivers State had helped reduce conflict and disputes over party candidates.
“Because of our Rainbow Coalition, we no longer have Rivers of blood. There is no litigation on party candidates in Rivers state, unlike in Imo state,” he said.
Wike said a similar political arrangement could benefit Tinubu in Bayelsa State, where he claimed members of the PDP were supporting the president.
“That can happen in Bayelsa State. The whole PDP there is working for the President,” he said.
On Tinubu’s prospects in the FCT, Wike expressed confidence that the president would win the territory in the 2027 election.
“As I sit here today, I will tell you that the President will win in the FCT,” he added.
