The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, have endorsed the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
They described the initiative as a step towards national unity and the strengthening of Nigeria’s democracy.
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Messrs Akpabio and Bamidele spoke towards the end of Wednesday’s plenary.
Both lawmakers praised Mr Wike for supporting the Tinubu administration despite belonging to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They also highlighted the potential of the coalition to mobilise support for the president’s second-term bid.
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Mr Bamidele, while moving a motion for adjournment at about 12:50 p.m. to allow lawmakers to attend the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa, sought his colleagues’ permission to comment on the composition of the council.
The senate leader, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, spoke first, describing the coalition as being in the country’s best interest and expressing confidence in its contribution to Mr Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
He also commended Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party and Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for agreeing to mobilise support for Mr Tinubu despite belonging to opposition parties.
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The rejigged campaign council list was released on Tuesday.
“My point, Mr President, is that in this country, in the overriding best interests of the Nigerian people, a rainbow coalition indeed is on the move and very much on course.
“I think it is something that should not go unnoticed. We will proceed out of this chamber as members of the ruling party, accompanied by our colleagues, to go to the presidential campaign council. We look forward to a campaign that will really celebrate ideas and celebrate our democracy,” he said.
Responding, Mr Akpabio commended President Tinubu for including figures from opposition parties in his presidential campaign council, describing the move as a demonstration of political inclusiveness and national unity.
“This is historic, and this is uncommon. This has never happened in the history of our democracy since 1999, that a sitting president will constitute his presidential campaign council with almost all the parties in Nigeria inclusive,” he said.
Mr Akpabio said the administration’s approach to inclusiveness extended beyond infrastructure, revenue allocation and economic reforms to political cooperation.
“This is not just an inclusive government in terms of infrastructure; it is not just an inclusive government in terms of revenue allocation and allotments. It is not just an inclusive government in terms of giant strides in reform. It’s also an inclusive government in terms of unity, unity of purpose in democracy. Even what we are going to do today is evidence that his second term will be a unity government, just like his campaign council, which is made up of almost all the political parties in the country. Nigeria is setting an example for Africa.”
The senate president also praised opposition figures supporting Mr Tinubu’s re-election, particularly Mr Wike, whom he credited with giving the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) reasons to be optimistic about victory.
“I also congratulate the boldness of the other parties, the governors from the Accord Party in Osun State all the way down to the minister of FCT, who has given us reasons to smile and has shown that, yes, performance is not found in political parties but found in individuals,” he said.
Messrs Akpabio and Bamidele’s remarks signal support for Mr Wike’s mobilisation efforts within the Senate, amid disagreements between the FCT minister and some APC leaders over the coalition.
Wike’s coalition
Mr Wike, a chieftain of the opposition PDP serving in the APC-led federal government, has been at odds with APC governors over his Rainbow Coalition, which he says is aimed at mobilising support for President Tinubu’s re-election.
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The coalition, which initially emerged in Rivers State, where Mr Wike served as governor, has since expanded to other parts of the country.
However, APC governors have opposed the coalition, describing it as a political arrangement that could undermine the party and its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
The governors and other APC leaders have also alleged that Mr Wike is using the coalition to support politicians who lost the party’s primaries and are now contesting elections on the platform of the PDP.
The Progressives Governors Forum, the umbrella union of APC governors chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, subsequently rejected the coalition, saying the governors would not support any political arrangement that could undermine the party and its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Mr Wike, on the other hand, accused the governors of opposing the coalition because they fear losing their elections. He also criticised their performance in their respective states.
The FCT minister specifically named Governors Uzodimma, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State as opponents of the coalition, accusing them of acting for “selfish reasons”.
The PDP, Mr Wike’s party, has also weighed in on the dispute, backing his continued mobilisation for President Tinubu’s re-election despite the party’s decision to field Sandy Onor as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The APC South-east caucus and other mobilisation groups within the party, however, have rejected the coalition and asked Mr Wike to apologise to the party’s governors for his comments about their political capacity and their opposition to his Rainbow Coalition.
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