‘APC Govs Are Politically Lazy’ – Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has described governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “politically lazy” over their opposition to his proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the remark during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, while reacting to the position of APC governors that they would not support any political alliance capable of undermining President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or the interests of APC candidates at various levels.
The APC governors, led by their chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, had announced after a meeting in Abuja that they would not participate in, support or endorse any political arrangement that could weaken the party or affect its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Reacting, Wike said the governors were “politically lazy”, urging them not to use President Tinubu as an excuse to address their own political challenges.
“They are politically lazy. When you have your local problems, don’t use Mr President as your excuse,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor also dismissed the suggestion that his support for Tinubu meant he had abandoned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stressing that supporting a presidential candidate should not prevent political parties from fielding candidates for other elective positions.
Wike maintained that his position was to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election while allowing the PDP and other political parties to contest governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
“I said I was going to support the President, and I supported him. I said I was going to support him for a second term because I have seen that he is committed and dedicated to changing Nigeria. What has that got to do with my party?” he said.
He further insisted that the Rainbow Coalition was not an arrangement with the APC, but rather a platform through which individuals and members of different political parties could mobilise support for Tinubu.
“Most importantly, Rainbow Coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President,” Wike said.
Wike also argued that voters could support candidates from different political parties in the same election cycle, citing the 2023 elections in states including Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi as examples.
He questioned why support for Tinubu at the presidential level should prevent voters from backing candidates from other parties in legislative elections.
The minister further said his disagreements with some APC governors did not begin with his support for Tinubu, recalling that he had faced opposition from some quarters during his tenure as Rivers State governor and later as FCT minister.
“This thing did not start today. It started at a ministerial position. They were not happy that I was Minister of FCT. Also, they were unhappy when I was governor,” he said.
Wike also maintained that President Tinubu was aware of his political activities and that his support for the President was based on his personal assessment of the administration.
He said his political activities should not be interpreted as an attempt to undermine the APC, insisting that his focus remained on mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.