Nyesom Wike Defends Rainbow Coalition for Tinubu Re-election

Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike initiated the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party platform designed to broaden President Bola Tinubu's support base for the 2027 presidential election. The coalition allows members of opposition parties to back the president without formally leaving their own political organizations.

Chibudom Nwuche, Chairman of the South-South Development Commission, endorsed the move as a political masterstroke and urged All Progressives Congress (APC) members to stop attacking Wike and focus on grassroots mobilization. Nwuche asserted that the coalition would not cause political confusion in Rivers State, where a consensus governorship candidate is being selected.

However, the initiative sparked friction with the Progressive Governors Forum. Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State warned that parallel political structures could weaken the president's campaign. Wike rejected these claims, clarifying that the coalition is not an APC structure and is separate from the party. He challenged Uzodinma to explain the APC's poor 2023 performance in Imo State, where the party received less than 15 percent of the vote.

Wike further distanced the coalition from state-level contests, stating that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may still field candidates for governorship and legislative elections. He rejected requests to help APC governors secure victories in their states, arguing that politics is local and governors must resolve their own internal issues to achieve genuine mobilization.