ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, rejected claims on Monday, September 21, 2026, that his Rainbow Coalition initiative is intended to destabilise the All Progressives Congress.
Speaking during an inspection tour of road projects in Abuja, Nigeria, the minister addressed criticism from the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, and the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State. Okay News reports that Nyesom Wike dismissed allegations that the coalition targets the ruling party and stated that the pushback stems from underlying succession maneuvering ahead of the 2031 presidential election.
The minister stated that his immediate objective remains supporting the re-election of President Bola Tinubu. He added that the Rainbow Coalition seeks to mobilize support from non-All Progressives Congress members and compared the approach to the G5 governors’ group during the 2023 election cycle.
During his comments, Nyesom Wike said, “Today I will be on TVC by 5pm to 7pm Probably Nigerians will hear me very well when I answer it. Just what I want to let you know: my concern is how the President will be re-elected for a second term. That is my concern. And I have made that known from the outset that I was going to support Mr President with all my might and strength.”
He also addressed speculations regarding future ambitions, saying, “People take the position of God. First of all, you have to pray that you are alive. You must ask God, ‘Keep me alive till tomorrow. God, keep me alive till the next day.’ When God keeps you alive, then you now know what to do. How can you sit now and start planning about 2030, 31?”
During the inspection tour preceding his statements, Nyesom Wike evaluated ongoing infrastructure projects, including the ISEX 2, Southern Parkway roads, and the Nile University to Ring Road 3 project. Contractors for the site committed to completing the projects by January 10, 2027.
