Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, unveiled a cross-party mobilisation strategy involving stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Wike declared himself at the stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja as the coordinator of the president’s re-election campaign in both FCT and Rivers State.
He vowed that political differences would not prevent members of the two parties from working towards a common presidential objective.
The minister said for the FCT, the coalition had agreed to support Tinubu’s re-election as well as the APC Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates.
“For the presidency, all of us have agreed that it is Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am going to coordinate the FCT and Rivers State. So you can imagine how important it is.
“I am in charge of the FCT election. I am the commander of field operations as far as the FCT election is concerned.”
The meeting, which saw the PDP National Assembly candidates openly declaring support for the APC candidates, was a gathering of APC and PDP stakeholders, including party chairmen, serving and former senators, candidates for the National Assembly and leaders from the six area councils of the FCT.
The former Rivers State governor explained that the purpose of gathering was to establish a common political front ahead of the 2027 general election and ensure that stakeholders understood the coalition’s objectives, irrespective of the parties they might belong to in the coming months
“I want to let all of you know that we are going to work together. Nobody should say, ‘I am PDP’ or ‘I am APC.’ For the purpose of this election, we are together,” he said.
He referenced the 2024 Edo State governorship election as proof that political coalitions could determine electoral outcomes, claiming that cooperation between elements of the APC and PDP had helped prevent the incumbent governor from installing a successor.
Making a case for Tinubu’s re-election, he challenged political leaders to identify any of the six area councils of the FCT that had not benefited from the administration’s infrastructure projects and institutional reforms.
According to him, notable reforms like the creation of the Women Affairs and Youth Development Secretariats had created opportunities for career progression among FCT civil servants and expanded participation in governance.