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Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has said he will disclose the reasons behind the opposition to his Rainbow Coalition by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Wike, who spoke on Monday during an inspection of ongoing road projects in the FCT, said the criticism of the coalition was not primarily about concerns that it could destabilise the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He promised to provide more details during a television appearance scheduled for later in the day, urging Nigerians to listen to his explanation.
According to Wike, speculation that he was positioning himself for the 2031 presidential election was premature, noting that political ambitions were dependent on circumstances and the will of God.
He said his political history, including his participation in the 2022 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary, meant he remained a significant political actor, but questioned the suggestion that he was currently positioning himself for another presidential bid.
Wike also maintained that his immediate political priority was the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027, stressing that he had committed himself to supporting the President.
He described claims that the Rainbow Coalition was designed to destabilise the APC as surprising, insisting that the coalition had not asked anyone to withdraw support from any candidate.
The minister said the group had instead encouraged its members and like-minded politicians outside the APC to support Tinubu's re-election.
He cited the G5 governors' role in the 2023 election as an example of political cooperation outside traditional party structures, arguing that similar concerns were not raised at the time.
Wike said there were “undertones” behind the current criticism of the Rainbow Coalition which, according to him, Nigerians would understand when he provided further details.
“I don't want to let the cat out of the bag now, so just hold your breath,” he said.
On the FCT road projects inspected during the day, Wike expressed satisfaction with the progress of work on the ISEX 2 and Southern Parkway roads, as well as the Nile University-Ring Road 3 project.
He said the contractors had committed to delivering the projects by January 10, 2027.
