Wike made the declaration on Monday at a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, where he unveiled a cross-party mobilisation arrangement involving members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The meeting also witnessed PDP National Assembly candidates in the FCT declaring support for their APC counterparts, as political stakeholders agreed to cooperate in pursuit of their shared electoral objectives.
Speaking at the gathering, Wike said the coalition had settled on Tinubu as its preferred presidential candidate and that he would coordinate campaign activities in the FCT and Rivers State.
“For the Presidency, all of us have agreed that it is Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I will coordinate the FCT and Rivers State. So you can imagine how important it is,” he said.
He added, “I am in charge of the FCT election. I am the commander of field operations as far as the FCT election is concerned.”
The meeting attracted APC and PDP stakeholders, including party chairmen, serving and former senators, National Assembly candidates and political leaders from the FCT’s six area councils.
Wike said the coalition was designed to establish a common political front ahead of the elections, urging participants to put aside party affiliations while working towards their agreed objectives.
“I want to let all of you know that we are going to work together. Nobody should say, ‘I am PDP’ or ‘I am APC.’ For the purpose of this election, we are together,” the minister stated.
The former Rivers State governor cited the 2024 Edo State governorship election as an example of how political cooperation across party lines could influence electoral outcomes.
He claimed that collaboration involving elements of the APC and PDP had helped prevent the incumbent governor from installing a successor, arguing that political differences could be set aside when stakeholders shared a common objective.
Wike, however, clarified that the coalition’s arrangement was primarily focused on the presidential election, leaving participating parties to determine their positions on other electoral contests.
Making a case for Tinubu’s re-election, the minister challenged political leaders to identify any of the FCT’s six area councils that had not benefited from infrastructure projects and institutional reforms under the current administration.
He highlighted the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, the appointment of a Head of the Civil Service from within the territory’s workforce, and the creation of the Women Affairs and Youth Development secretariats as some of the administration’s achievements.
According to Wike, the reforms had expanded opportunities for career advancement among civil servants and strengthened participation in governance within the territory.
He also listed road construction and rehabilitation, renovation of schools, construction of police stations and improvements to other public facilities among projects being undertaken across the FCT.
The minister expressed confidence that the administration’s record would provide a basis for mobilising residents to support Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Wike also defended the President’s economic policies, acknowledging that some of the reforms had imposed hardship on Nigerians but arguing that difficult decisions were necessary to address longstanding economic challenges.
“Changing the economy of a country is not like a prayer,” he said, suggesting that the benefits of economic reforms might take time to become evident.
He maintained that the government’s policies should be assessed in the context of the broader economic changes it was seeking to achieve.
On security, Wike expressed support for the proposed establishment of state police, describing it as an important measure that could help address Nigeria’s security challenges.
The minister’s declaration signals an effort to mobilise political support for Tinubu across party lines in the FCT and Rivers State. However, the eventual impact of the coalition will depend on its organisation, the level of support it attracts and how voters respond to the competing political campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections.
