Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he will not get involved in helping politicians secure electoral victories in their respective states, stressing that his primary focus ahead of the 2027 general elections is the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.
Wike made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.
The FCT minister reaffirmed his support for Tinubu’s second-term bid but stressed that he never promised that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
According to Wike, politicians experiencing difficulties in their states should resolve their political challenges locally rather than attempt to use Tinubu’s re-election campaign to generate political sentiments.
“I won’t be the one to help people to win elections in their states. Politics is local, and those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using the re-election of the President to whip up sentiments,” Wike said.
The minister also clarified that the so-called rainbow coalition has no affiliation with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He explained that the coalition comprises politicians from different parties who support Tinubu because they believe in his performance and want him to secure another term in office.
“Rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” Wike said.
Wike recalled that he and other members of the G5 supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election without first reaching an agreement with the APC.
He said his position ahead of 2027 remained unchanged, insisting that his role would be to mobilise support for the President rather than determine which party should win elections at the state level.
The minister further argued that political support must be built from the grassroots, noting that electoral victories could no longer simply be secured through political calculations or attempts to impose candidates from outside a state.
He cited the 2023 elections in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states as examples of voters choosing different parties in presidential and legislative contests.
Wike questioned how the APC secured two senatorial seats in Imo State in 2023 despite receiving less than 15 per cent of the presidential votes in the state.
He similarly pointed to APC victories in National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, despite the party recording less than 10 per cent of the presidential votes in some of the states.
“The results showed that voters were capable of separating presidential and state-level elections,” he said.
Wike urged political stakeholders to prioritise Tinubu’s presidential campaign and address other electoral contests after the presidential election.
“After the President must have been re-elected, we can all go and face elections in our states,” he said.
The minister maintained that his support for Tinubu did not mean other political parties would be prevented from contesting governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the re-election of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections,” he said.
