Rainbow Coalition Has Come To Stay – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, has defended the formation of his Rainbow Coalition, insisting that the political platform would remain in place ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Chief Wike stated this during a media parley with selected journalists in Abuja, and monitored in Port Harcourt.
He reaffirmed his commitment to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, despite reported disagreements with some governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The minister said his political commitment was to President Tinubu’s second-term ambition and not to individual governors, stressing that he had made no promise to support any governor politically.
“What I’ve said to Nigerians and to Almighty God is, ‘I’m going to support Tinubu for him to realise his second-term ambition.’ I did not promise any governor,” he said.
He also dismissed suggestions that he was seeking political favours from APC governors, citing his past support for some of them during previous political contests.
Chief Wike further insisted that the Rainbow Coalition was not a temporary political arrangement, declaring that it would continue to operate as a platform for mobilising support for President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
“If you have any problem with me, come out, bark, and face Wike. Don’t go under the Rainbow Coalition. For the Rainbow Coalition, it has come. It will stay. There’s nothing anybody can do about it,” he said.
However, the Minister’s political position has attracted questions from the Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mr Paul I’ve, who has challenged Chief Wike to disclose the expenditure and funding sources for his televised media engagements.
Mr Ibe estimated that the broadcasts could cost between ¦ 1.92 billion and ¦ 3.84 billion annually if conducted monthly, based on the assumptions outlined in his assessment. He called for the publication of invoices, details of payments to broadcasting stations and the relevant budgetary provisions.
He argued that residents of the FCT deserved to know how much was being spent on the minister’s media engagements and whether the expenditure was being met with public funds.
According to Mr Ibe, there was nothing wrong with a minister explaining his stewardship to the public, but government resources must be deployed for public purposes rather than personal political disputes.
He also questioned whether the media engagements devoted sufficient attention to infrastructure, public services and other issues affecting residents of the Federal Capital Territory.
Mr Ibe urged Chief Wike to publish the invoices, identify the broadcasting stations allegedly paid, disclose the amounts involved and state the sources of funding and relevant budget lines.
The demand has brought renewed attention to the distinction between government communication and political mobilisation, particularly as political actors position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, the information contained in the report does not establish that public funds were used to finance Chief Wike’s media engagements. Neither does it indicate that the minister directly addressed Mr Ibe’s specific demand for invoices and a breakdown of the alleged expenditure during the media parley.
The Minister, as it was gathered, will coordinate the Presidential Campaign for the APC in Rivers State.

King Onunwor