“Era of Coming From 4th Position to Become Governor Is Over” — Wike Blasts APC’s Uzodinma

Wike Rejects APC Governors’ Position on Rainbow Coalition, Reaffirms Support for Tinubu

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has responded to Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma and other governors under the All Progressives Congress (APC) following their rejection of the Rainbow Coalition.

Wike maintained that his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 remains unwavering. He insisted that the Rainbow Coalition is not an APC arrangement, but rather a cross-party platform established to mobilize political support for the President across various political parties.

Also Read: Nigeria Morning Brief: 10 top stories you need to know, September 17, 2026

The former governor of Rivers State also clarified that he never made any promise that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would refrain from fielding candidates in the 2027 governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly elections.

His comments came in response to a resolution adopted by the APC Governors’ Forum, which formally rejected political alliances that could create what the forum described as confusion, divided loyalty, or competing interests within the ruling party.

APC Governors’ Resolution and Wike’s Response

Governor Hope Uzodinma, who serves as the chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, announced the forum’s stance following a meeting of the APC governors held in Abuja.

According to Uzodinma, the forum unanimously agreed that its members would not participate in, support, or endorse any political arrangement that could undermine President Tinubu’s re-election bid, weaken the APC, or adversely affect candidates running on the ruling party’s platform.

However, Wike dismissed the concerns raised by the APC governors in a statement issued on Tuesday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.

The FCT Minister stated that he would not be responsible for helping politicians secure political victories in their respective states, arguing that political issues at the state level should be handled locally.

“Politics is local and those having problems in their States should resolve them instead of using the reelection of the President to whip up sentiments,” Wike said.

Wike stressed that he had never entered into any formal agreement with the APC. He noted that members of the G5 group had previously supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.

According to Wike, his position regarding 2027 remains strictly focused on securing President Tinubu’s re-election rather than determining which political parties contest other electoral offices.

Dispute Over Voting Patterns and Regional Politics

Addressing Governor Uzodinma directly, Wike declared that political success depends on genuine grassroots mobilization rather than legal or political maneuvers.

“Politics is no longer about coming from fourth position to be governor; it is about genuinely mobilising support and winning elections from the polling units,” Wike said.

The minister challenged Uzodinma to explain the specific voting pattern recorded in Imo State during the 2023 general elections.

Wike questioned how the APC managed to win two Senate seats in Imo State during an election held on the exact same day as the presidential election, despite the APC recording less than 15 per cent of the total presidential votes in the state.

“In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodinma, how did APC win two Senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day as that of the President, and APC had less than 15 per cent in the presidential election? Was it rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?” Wike asked.

The FCT Minister extended his argument to other South-East states, including Ebonyi, Abia, and Enugu, where APC candidates successfully won National Assembly seats despite President Tinubu recording relatively low presidential vote counts in those areas.

“Was it rainbow coalition that also made APC to win National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu States, where the President did not have ten per cent of the votes?” Wike queried.

Wike argued that this historical voting pattern demonstrates that Nigerian electors are capable of voting for candidates from different political parties within the same election cycle without being confused.

He expressed confidence that voters in the South-East region would be capable of making similar independent choices in 2027 while still supporting President Tinubu for the presidency.

“If in 2023, the voters in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi voted APC in the Senatorial election and voted another party in the presidential election, they won’t be confused in 2027, provided we all support the president genuinely this time?” Wike said.

Wike urged political stakeholders across the country to prioritize President Tinubu’s presidential re-election campaign before directing their focus toward state-level contests.

“After the President has been reelected, we can all go and face elections in our States,” he stated.

Reaffirming his commitment to the presidential campaign, Wike emphasized that his primary goal is mobilizing broad political support for Tinubu regardless of party affiliations.

“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,” Wike stated.

Wike concluded by clarifying that the Rainbow Coalition should not be interpreted as an APC organizational structure, but rather as a non-partisan effort to rally support behind the President.

“Most importantly, the 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.