Jungudo says FCT minister remains a PDP member despite backing Tinubu, as dispute with APC governors over Rainbow Coalition deepens
ABUJA — The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Jungudo, has said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is likely to ask Nigerians to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election but would not campaign for the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a political party.
Jungudo made the statement while speaking on News Central Television on Wednesday, amid an escalating political disagreement between Wike and governors elected on the platform of the APC over the proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The PDP spokesman maintained that Wike remains a member of the PDP and has not publicly announced his defection from the party, despite serving in the APC-led Federal Government and openly supporting Tinubu’s re-election.
According to Jungudo, Wike’s position is that of supporting Tinubu at the presidential level while retaining his political relationship with the PDP and supporting candidates of the party in other electoral contests.
“The distinction is very clear that Wike is a member of the PDP. He has never hidden that, and he is supporting every single candidate of the PDP, with the exception of the presidential,” Jungudo said.
He added that the PDP has candidates who will contest the 2027 elections and that the final decision on who wins elective offices would rest with Nigerian voters.
Jungudo also argued that Wike remains a significant political figure whom different political parties would want to have within their ranks because of his political experience and influence.
“No political party today, looking at the pedigree that Wike encompasses, won’t want to have him in their own political party,” he said.
The PDP spokesman, however, drew a distinction between supporting Tinubu and supporting the APC’s candidates across the country.
“What ultimately is the determining factor is Nigerians. This is our candidate for the PDP,” he said.
According to Jungudo, Wike “can’t and would never come out to say vote for APC in 2027,” adding that the minister would only ask Nigerians to support Tinubu at the presidential level.
The comments come as tensions rise between Wike and the APC Governors’ Forum over the political arrangement known as the Rainbow Coalition.
The APC governors, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, recently declared that they would not participate in, support or endorse any political alliance capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election, weakening the APC or affecting the party’s candidates at different levels.
The governors said their campaign commitment would remain focused on official APC candidates.
Wike has rejected the interpretation that his political activities amount to an attempt to weaken Tinubu’s presidential campaign.
In a recent interview with ARISE News, the former Rivers State governor said he had never approached the APC Governors’ Forum seeking an alliance. He also said his Rainbow Coalition was aimed at mobilising support for Tinubu while allowing political parties to field candidates for other positions.
Wike also described the APC governors as “politically lazy” in response to their opposition to the coalition.
He argued that supporting Tinubu for president should not prevent politicians or political parties from backing different candidates in governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections.
The APC Governors’ Forum has taken a different position, maintaining that its members would support APC candidates at all levels and would not endorse arrangements that could create divided loyalty within the ruling party.
The disagreement has placed Wike in an unusual political position ahead of the 2027 elections: he is a PDP member, serves as a minister in Tinubu’s administration and has declared support for the President’s re-election, while the PDP continues to prepare its own candidates for the presidential and other elective contests.
Jungudo’s latest comments indicate that the PDP leadership is distinguishing Wike’s support for Tinubu from support for the APC as a party.
The development also highlights the wider political question surrounding politicians who support presidential candidates different from those officially presented by their own parties.
While the APC governors have expressed concern about political arrangements that could weaken the party’s candidates, Wike has insisted that his support for Tinubu does not amount to an agreement to prevent opposition parties from contesting elections.
For the PDP, Jungudo said the party would continue to present its candidates and allow voters to determine the outcome of the 2027 elections.
The competing positions have added another layer to the emerging political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Wike’s support for Tinubu, his continued PDP membership and the Rainbow Coalition becoming subjects of debate among political parties and their supporters.
IBN News reports that Wike has publicly maintained his support for President Tinubu’s re-election while the PDP insists he remains a member of the opposition party, whereas the APC Governors’ Forum has said it will support official APC candidates and reject political arrangements that could undermine the party or its candidates.
