The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, have backed the Rainbow Coalition led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. This coalition aims to gather support for President Bola Tinubu's re-election.
They called the initiative a step towards bringing the nation together and strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.
Akpabio and Bamidele shared their views at the end of Wednesday’s plenary session.
Both lawmakers praised Wike for standing by the Tinubu administration, even though he is part of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They also noted that the coalition could help boost support for the president's bid for a second term.
Mr Bamidele, while moving a motion for adjournment around 12:50 p.m. to let lawmakers attend the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa, asked his colleagues for permission to comment on the council's makeup.
The senate leader, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, spoke first. He said the coalition is in the best interest of the country and expressed confidence in its potential for Tinubu's re-election campaign.
He also praised 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 support Tinubu, despite being in opposition parties.
On Tuesday, a new list for the campaign council was released.
"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."
He added, "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."
Mr Akpabio also commended President Tinubu for including members from opposition parties in his campaign council. He called this move a show 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.
Akpabio explained that the administration's push for inclusiveness goes beyond just infrastructure and economic reforms. It also includes 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 also an inclusive government in terms of unity, unity of purpose in democracy. This 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 leaders supporting Tinubu’s re-election, especially Wike. He said Wike has given the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) reasons to be hopeful 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 performance is not found in political parties but found in individuals," he said.
Akpabio and Bamidele’s comments show their support for Wike’s efforts in the Senate, despite some disagreements between the FCT minister and some APC leaders regarding the coalition.
Wike, who is a key member of the opposition PDP and serves in the APC-led federal government, has been in conflict with APC governors over his Rainbow Coalition. He claims it aims to gather support for President Tinubu's re-election.
The coalition started in Rivers State, where Wike was governor, and has expanded to other parts of Nigeria.
But APC governors have opposed the coalition, saying it might weaken the party and its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
They also allege that Wike is using the coalition to back politicians who lost the party's primaries and are now contesting elections under the PDP.
The Progressives Governors Forum, the group of APC governors led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, has rejected the coalition. They stated they would not support any arrangement that could harm the party and its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Wike accused the governors of opposing the coalition because they fear losing their positions. He also criticized their performance in their states.
He specifically named Governors Uzodimma, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State as opponents of the coalition, claiming they act out of selfish interests.
The PDP has also weighed in on the matter, supporting Wike's efforts to mobilize for Tinubu’s re-election, even though the party has chosen Sandy Onor as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Meanwhile, the APC South-east caucus and other mobilization groups within the party have rejected the coalition. They have urged Wike to apologize to the party’s governors for his remarks about their political abilities and their opposition to his Rainbow Coalition.
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