At a Rainbow Coalition meeting in Abuja, Wike announces plans to coordinate Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT and Rivers State.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Assembly candidates in the territory have declared support for their All Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts and President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike made this known on Monday during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, where he brought together political leaders and stakeholders from both parties to discuss a common political strategy for the forthcoming elections.
The minister declared that he would coordinate Tinubu’s re-election campaign in both the FCT and Rivers State, insisting that political affiliations would not prevent members of the APC and PDP from working towards the same presidential objective.
“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,” Wike said.
He added, “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 attracted APC and PDP stakeholders, including party chairmen, serving and former senators, National Assembly candidates and political leaders from the FCT’s six area councils.
Wike urged participants to set aside party differences and work together towards the coalition’s agreed objective of supporting Tinubu’s re-election, regardless of their political affiliations.
“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 former Rivers State governor cited the 2024 Edo State governorship election as an example of how political alliances could influence electoral outcomes, arguing that cooperation among political stakeholders could help achieve a shared political objective.
However, Wike clarified that the arrangement was primarily focused on the presidential election, leaving participating parties to determine their positions on other electoral contests.
Making a case for Tinubu’s re-election, the minister 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 current administration.
He highlighted 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 as notable developments under the Tinubu administration.
According to Wike, the reforms had expanded opportunities for career advancement among FCT civil servants and strengthened participation in governance.
On infrastructure, he listed road construction and rehabilitation, school renovations, police stations and other public facilities among the projects being undertaken across the territory.
The minister expressed confidence that the administration’s record in infrastructure development and institutional reforms would feature prominently in efforts to mobilise support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike also defended Tinubu’s economic reforms, acknowledging that some measures had imposed temporary 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 not be immediately evident.
On security, Wike expressed support for the proposed establishment of state police, describing it as an important measure for addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
