The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed opposition from some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to his proposed Rainbow Coalition, saying they cannot intimidate or silence him.
Wike specifically named Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun as governors who, according to him, have issues with his political activities.
He made the remarks on Monday, September 21, 2026, during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, amid growing disagreements between him and some APC governors over the Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike accused the governors of using the coalition as a pretext to divert attention from their own political challenges.
“Governor Hope Uzodimma, Governor AbdulRazaq, Governor Dapo Abiodun, and some of them who have their own problems, who cannot solve their own internal problems, think that they can muzzle me because I say I’m going to support Mr President,” Wike said.
He alleged that some governors were opposed to the coalition because of their interest in influencing the emergence of the next leadership of the National Assembly.
According to Wike, some governors were seeking to install senators and members of the House of Representatives who would support their preferred candidates for Senate President and Speaker.
He also criticised what he described as attempts to use political pressure and blackmail against him, insisting that his support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign remained unchanged.
‘Tinubu will win 2027’
Wike said his primary political objective was to support Tinubu’s re-election, dismissing speculation that the Rainbow Coalition was designed to weaken the APC or position him for a 2031 presidential bid.
“My primary concern is whether Tinubu will be re-elected for a second term,” Wike said, reiterating that he would support the President “with all my might and strength.”
He said President Tinubu was aware of his political activities and understood the concept behind the Rainbow Coalition.
Wike also cited the political situation in Rivers State, saying the support of former Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the coalition had helped demonstrate that the initiative was not necessarily tied to party defections.
Wike touts FCT projects
The minister also defended the Tinubu administration’s performance in the FCT, citing infrastructure development as evidence of what he described as improved governance in the territory.
He said the administration inherited 25 projects from the previous government and had completed 23 of them, while 107 projects had subsequently been awarded under his tenure, with more than 70 already completed.
Recent reports put the number of completed projects among the 107 at 76.
Wike also reiterated that the long-delayed Apo-Karshi Road would be completed and handed over in November 2026. The project, originally awarded more than 15 years ago, has remained one of the major infrastructure projects in the FCT.
He attributed increased funding for FCT infrastructure to President Tinubu’s decision to remove the territory from the Treasury Single Account arrangement, which he said enabled the administration to access commercial financing for infrastructure projects.
‘Obi won Rivers in imagination’
Wike also rejected claims that Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi won Rivers State in the 2023 presidential election.
Responding to questions about the political strength of the “Obidient” movement in the state, Wike said claims of victory based on isolated polling units or social media activity did not determine the outcome of an election.
He pointed to Rivers State’s more than 7,000 polling units and argued that victory could only be established after results from all relevant polling units had been collated and declared.
“You can win on social media, but I am not interested in social media winning. I am interested practically in the results on the ground, who won, and who was declared,” he said.
‘2027 will be my easiest election’
The FCT minister also dismissed concerns that political opponents were assembling against him in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike, who began his electoral career as a local government chairman in 1999, recalled his victories in the 2015 and 2019 governorship elections despite what he described as significant political opposition.
He said the 2027 contest would be the easiest election he had faced, arguing that his political strength was based on his record and relationship with Rivers voters.
Share this content:
About The Author
