2027: Critics of Rainbow Coalition incapable of uniting their own families – Wike

…Tells FCT residents, ‘election day is not for market or fishing’

By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has said politicians who deny the existence of the Rainbow Coalition lack the capacity to unite even their own families and communities.

Wike spoke on Monday in Abuja at the commissioning of the Gwagwalada Civic Centre and an interactive session with stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress APC and the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Gwagwalada Area Council.

The minister said the coalition, which brings together political stakeholders from both parties, was formed in the interest of unity, cooperation and development in the FCT.

“Some greedy and selfish politicians do not understand what we call unity. They have no capacity to hold their space, they have no capacity to even hold their families, and they have no capacity to hold their communities. So they can open their mouths and say there is no Rainbow Coalition,” he said.

Wike challenged critics of the alliance to explain why political leaders who once disagreed could not come together to pursue common interests.

He described the development in Gwagwalada as a departure from the politics of confrontation, insisting that the FCT needed cooperation rather than needless political hostility.

Commending political leaders in the area for setting aside their differences, he said their decision showed that the collective interest of the people outweighed individual political ambition.

Wike also urged residents not to repeat what he described as the mistake of the 2023 general elections and called for credible representation at the National Assembly.

The minister canvassed support for a former senator, Philip Aduda, and other candidates endorsed by the coalition, saying political representatives must be accessible and familiar with their constituents.

Wike also declared support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and urged residents to turn their endorsements into votes in 2027.

“On the day of the election, it will not be a day for market or fishing. It is the day all of us have decided to come together and demonstrate our strength through our votes. Go to the polling units, districts and communities and mobilise the people to vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

Earlier, the FCT APC Chairman, Ishaku Tanko Yamawo, described the gathering as historic, saying Wike’s intervention had brought together leaders who previously operated on opposing sides.

The FCT PDP Chairman, Alhaji Ismaila Mohammed Dogara, praised Wike for his development interventions, particularly the revival of a project abandoned for 16 years in Gwagwalada.

The Aguma of Gwagwalada, Alhaji Muhammadu Magaji, also commended Wike’s contributions to the development of the territory. He said the revival of the abandoned project underscored the importance of continuity in governance.

A former Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Zakari Angulu Dobi, recalled that the Civic Centre was almost 80 per cent completed when he left office but suffered vandalism during the 16 years it was abandoned, reducing its completion level to about 40 per cent.

In his welcome address, the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Kassim Mohammed, listed road projects executed by his administration in Gwagwalada metropolis, Tungan Wada, Abum-pe and other communities. He thanked Wike for approving a new facility in Gwagwalada but appealed for intervention on the road linking the army checkpoint to the specialist hospital.