• As PDP National Assembly candidates back APC counterparts
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared himself the coordinator of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT and Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general election.
Wike made the declaration on Monday at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, where Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders agreed to work together to secure Tinubu’s second term.
The meeting also witnessed PDP National Assembly candidates openly declaring support for their APC counterparts, signalling a cross-party political alliance ahead of the elections.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor, said the coalition had agreed to rally behind Tinubu for the presidency, as well as APC candidates contesting senatorial and House of Representatives seats in the FCT.
“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,” he said.
“I am in charge of the FCT election. I am the commander of field operations as far as the FCT election is concerned.”
The minister urged members of the coalition to set aside their party affiliations and work towards the shared objective, stressing that political differences should not undermine their agreement on the presidential contest.
“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.
The meeting attracted party chairmen, serving and former senators, National Assembly candidates and political leaders from the FCT’s six area councils.
Wike, however, clarified that the alliance was primarily focused on the presidential election, leaving participating political parties to determine their positions on other electoral contests.
To justify the coalition’s strategy, he cited the 2024 Edo State governorship election, arguing that cooperation between political interests from the APC and PDP could shape electoral outcomes.
He claimed that the alliance had helped prevent the incumbent governor from installing a successor, presenting the experience as evidence that political partnerships could succeed when participants were united by a common objective.
Making a case for Tinubu’s re-election, Wike challenged political leaders to identify any of the FCT’s six area councils that had not benefited from infrastructure projects and institutional reforms under the administration.
He listed the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, the appointment of a Head of the Civil Service from within the territory’s workforce, and the creation of the Women Affairs and Youth Development Secretariats among the administration’s achievements.
According to him, the reforms had expanded opportunities for career advancement among FCT civil servants and strengthened the territory’s participation in governance.
The minister also cited road construction and rehabilitation, school renovations, police stations and other public facilities as evidence of the administration’s investment in the FCT.
He expressed confidence that the projects and institutional changes would provide the coalition with a strong basis for mobilising support for Tinubu in 2027.
On the economy, Wike defended the president’s reform policies, acknowledging that some of the measures had imposed hardship on Nigerians but arguing that difficult decisions were necessary to address longstanding economic challenges.
“Changing the economy of a country is not like a prayer,” he said, maintaining that the benefits of economic reforms might take time to become evident.
The minister also endorsed the proposed establishment of state police, describing it as an important step towards addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
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