Wike says critics of Rainbow Coalition lack capacity to unite their families, communities

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed critics of the Rainbow Coalition as politicians who cannot unite their families and communities, as he urged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the territory to mobilise for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Gwagwalada Civil Centre and an interactive session with APC and PDP stakeholders in Gwagwalada Area Council, yesterday, Wike defended the alliance, saying political leaders should put collective interests above party differences and individual ambitions.

“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.”

The minister challenged opponents of the coalition to explain why leaders who previously belonged to opposing political camps could not work together for the benefit of residents, commending stakeholders in Gwagwalada for embracing the arrangement.

He said the FCT needed cooperation among political leaders, adding that the coalition provided an opportunity to change the pattern of political engagement in the territory.

Wike also urged residents not to repeat what he described as the mistake of the 2023 general elections in their choice of National Assembly representatives, questioning whether the senator representing the FCT adequately understood the challenges confronting communities across its six area councils.

He canvassed support for former senator Philip Aduda and other candidates endorsed by the coalition, saying elected representatives must understand their constituents’ needs and remain accessible to them.

Declaring his support for Tinubu’s re-election, the minister charged coalition members to take their mobilisation to polling units, districts and communities, stressing that endorsements must translate into votes.

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

He said politicians who once did not regard one another as brothers because of their party affiliations were now sitting together and agreeing to work within the coalition in Gwagwalada.

Yamawo also credited the minister with reducing political tension, saying campaigns had become more peaceful, with fewer incidents of violence and destruction of vehicles.

FCT PDP Chairman, Ismaila Mohammed Dogara, commended Wike’s development interventions, particularly his support for the revival of the Gwagwalada Civil Centre, which he said had been abandoned for 16 years.

Dogara said the cooperation among leaders across party lines reflected the minister’s efforts to bring political stakeholders together in the territory.

Aguma of Gwagwalada, Alhaji Muhammadu Magaji, also praised Wike’s contributions to the development of the FCT, describing the revival of the project as evidence of the importance of continuity in governance.

In his welcome address, Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman, Kassim Mohammed, listed roads executed by his administration in Gwagwalada metropolis, Tungan Wada, Abum-pe and other communities, while appealing for the minister’s intervention on the road linking the Army checkpoint to the Specialist Hospital.

A former chairman of the council, Zakari Angulu Dobi, recalled that the Civil Centre was nearly 80 per cent completed when he left office, but vandalism during the 16 years it remained abandoned reduced its completion level to about 40 per cent.

He commended the incumbent chairman for completing the facility, describing it as a victory for residents irrespective of their political affiliations.

Adamu Mustapha Danze urged residents to reciprocate the attention given to the FCT by Tinubu and Wike through their votes in 2027.

The council’s Women Leader, Hajara Abdullahi, pledged women’s support for Tinubu, Aduda and other candidates endorsed by the coalition, while appealing for a cottage hospital to complement existing healthcare facilities.

Gwagwalada Youth Leader and Special Assistant to the council chairman, Inuwa Guzo, also pledged the support of youths across the APC and PDP blocs for the coalition, but appealed for the rehabilitation of the Gwagwalada football stadium, which he said had been abandoned for more than 25 years.