Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has thrown fresh fuel on the growing battle over his Rainbow Coalition, declaring that Nigerians will soon hear what he described as the “real undertones” behind opposition to the political alliance.
Wike, who spoke in Abuja on Monday after inspecting ongoing FCT projects, said the resistance by some APC governors was not really about fears that the coalition could weaken the ruling party.
He said he would disclose what was behind the controversy during a television appearance later on Monday.
“You will hear it today. What is the real cry about the Rainbow Coalition, the undertone? Nigerians don’t understand that there are undertones about it, and we’ll let the cat out of the bag,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor has come under increasing pressure from APC governors over the Rainbow Coalition, which he says is designed to mobilise support across political parties for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
The Progressive Governors Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, has opposed political arrangements it believes could weaken the APC or affect the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections.
But Wike insisted that the coalition was not an attempt to destabilise the APC.
He questioned why similar political mobilisation by the G5 governors in the run-up to the 2023 presidential election was not considered a threat to the party.
According to him, the G5 supported Tinubu in 2023, yet the APC went on to win the presidential election and retain control of the National Assembly.
“This is not the first time. First of all, in 2023 when it was G5, why is it that nobody complained that it would destabilise the party?” he asked.
Wike also dismissed speculation that the Rainbow Coalition was a vehicle for a 2031 presidential ambition.
He said it was premature to begin planning for an election that is still years away, stressing that his immediate political focus was Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
“My concern is how the President will be re-elected for a second term. That is my concern,” Wike said.
He nevertheless acknowledged that President Tinubu would have an interest in determining who succeeds him when he leaves office in 2031.
Wike also recalled his participation in the 2022 PDP presidential primary, where he finished second, while rejecting suggestions that he was already positioning himself for another presidential contest.
“So, am I positioning myself… in which of the parties am I positioning myself?” he asked.
The controversy has deepened since the APC governors declared that they would not participate in or support any alliance capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election bid, weakening the APC or affecting its candidates.
Wike, however, maintains that the Rainbow Coalition has no formal connection with the APC and is instead a cross-party mobilisation platform for Tinubu’s presidential bid.
He said Nigerians would be better informed once he disclosed what he described as the hidden issues driving the opposition to the coalition.