The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said his decision to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 does not mean the Peoples Democratic Party will withdraw from other elections.

Wike said he would mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term bid while the PDP remained free to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

The minister made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.

Wike also dismissed suggestions that the emerging “rainbow coalition” was an arrangement with the ruling All Progressives Congress, saying it was simply a platform for politicians across party lines to mobilise support for Tinubu.

He said he would not take responsibility for helping politicians win elections in their respective states, insisting that political disputes at the state level should be settled locally.

“Politics is local and those having problems in their States should resolve them instead of using the reelection of the President to whip up sentiments,” Wike said.

The former Rivers State governor recalled that he and other members of the G5 governors did not negotiate with the APC before supporting Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

He maintained that his position for 2027 remained centred on securing Tinubu’s re-election and not determining the outcome of other elections.

Wike argued that the 2023 elections showed that Nigerian voters could support different political parties in presidential and National Assembly contests held on the same day.

He cited Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states as examples, noting that the APC won some National Assembly seats despite recording relatively low votes for the presidential election in the states.

“In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodinma, how did APC win two senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day with that of the President and APC had less than 15 per cent in the presidential election? Was it rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?” he asked.

Wike further cited the APC’s victories in National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, despite the party’s performance in the presidential poll in those states.

He said the results demonstrated that voters could make different choices in different elections.

“If in 2023, the voters in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi voted APC in the Senatorial election and voted another party in the presidential election, they won’t be confused in 2027 provided we all support the president genuinely this time?” he added.

The FCT minister urged political stakeholders to separate the President’s re-election from their individual political battles at the state level.

“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the reelection of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections,” Wike said.

He also stressed that the rainbow coalition had no formal connection with the APC.

“Most importantly, rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” he said.

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has warned the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, against diverting the €55m French Government concessional loan, valued at about N85bn, from healthcare development to what it described as politically motivated projects.

The organisation said the loan, secured for the improvement of healthcare facilities across the state, should be deployed strictly for the purpose for which it was obtained.

In a statement on Tuesday, the group expressed concern over reports that the state government had constituted a committee to determine how the funds would be rapidly spent, describing the timing as suspicious with the 2027 general elections and the end of Makinde’s administration approaching.

It also noted that repayment of the facility would commence under the next administration, making transparency and accountability in the utilisation of the funds imperative.

The statement read in part, “It has come to our notice that Governor Makinde has constituted a committee to design how the money will be swiftly spent under the guise of executing some projects four months to the general election and eight months to the end of his government.

“It will be recalled that the Oyo State House of Assembly in June this year approved the governor’s curious request to raise N200bn bond to refinance the choking debt into which Makinde has plunged the state.”

The organisation also questioned the state government’s financial decisions, arguing that increased monthly allocations to the state and the 33 local government areas following the removal of fuel subsidy should provide additional resources to tackle pressing developmental challenges.

It said the alleged plan to rapidly deploy the loan was coming at a time when the state was already facing a significant debt burden.

The campaign organisation, however, said it would support any genuine effort by the government to improve healthcare delivery, but demanded full disclosure of how the French facility would be utilised.

It called for the publication of the loan’s terms, disbursement schedule, contractors to be engaged, procurement procedures, implementation timeline and the hospitals expected to benefit from the project.

“Oyo State citizens and residents deserve to know how every euro will be spent. The money must not be seen as another opportunity for inflated contracts, hurried procurements, questionable consultancy fees or projects disguised to primarily fund political activities,” it said.

The group urged Makinde to resist committing the state to contracts or projects that might not be completed or independently verified before the expiration of his administration.

It also called on the Oyo State House of Assembly, civil society organisations, professional healthcare bodies and the media to closely monitor the utilisation of the facility.

According to the organisation, residents of the state need functional hospitals, trained medical personnel, essential medicines and modern medical equipment rather than what it described as “cosmetic renovations” or abandoned projects.

The campaign organisation said it would continue to scrutinise the deployment of state resources, particularly as the 2027 elections approach, and hold the administration accountable for expenditures it considers questionable.

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has questioned the whereabouts and functionality of the surveillance aircraft recently acquired by the state government following Sunday’s attack on an Operation Burst base along the Igbeti-Igboho Road.

The party said the attack, which lasted for more than an hour, raised questions about the deployment of the aircraft, particularly as the incident occurred in the same axis where the government reportedly said the security equipment had been deployed.

The suspected bandits reportedly attacked the Operation Burst base in Oorelope Local Government Area, carting away some items and setting fire to the security post and a vehicle.

No casualty was recorded in the attack.
Operation Burst is a joint security outfit comprising personnel of the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

In a statement yesterday, the APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, described the incident as a matter of concern and challenged Governor Seyi Makinde to explain the status of the surveillance aircraft.

Sadare said it was ironic that the attackers could operate for more than one hour in an area where the government had reportedly located the base station for the aircraft.

“Just yesterday, the security of the entire Pacesetter State was shaken to its roots when insurgents unleashed terror on the Operation Burst Base located along Igbeti-Igboho Road in Oorelope Local Government Area of the state.

“At the end of the over one-hour operation, the gunmen carted away some important items and set ablaze the security post and a vehicle. Thankfully, no casualty was recorded during the attack,” he said.

The opposition party recalled the state government’s announcement last month that it had received and deployed two aircraft for security surveillance.

According to Sadare, the prolonged attack should prompt the government to explain whether the aircraft were operational and being effectively deployed to monitor vulnerable areas.

“Since the day Governor Makinde celebrated the purported delivery of the two aircraft, nothing has either been heard or felt about their deployment to survey the airspace in the state,” he said.

He added: “Sadly, Igbeti, where the base station for the aircraft was reportedly situated, came under heavy attack for more than an hour and there was no surveillance aircraft to track the attackers and possibly repel them.

“Therefore, it is safe to say that the whole story about security surveillance aircraft is another question begging for answers.”

Sadare also criticised what he described as the huge resources committed to the acquisition of the surveillance aircraft, alleging that the reported N7.8 billion expenditure could have been deployed to other security technologies and facilities.

He further challenged Makinde to account for the increased revenue accruing to the state, rather than concentrating on criticism of the economic policies of the Federal Government.

“On many occasions, Governor Makinde has said that the removal of fuel subsidy and flotation of the naira by the Tinubu administration were designed to punish Nigerians and enrich the governors.

“Going by his claims, he has been enriched tremendously as a serving governor, but the fundamental question is what he has done to transform the life of the common man in Oyo State in the last seven years,” he said.

The APC spokesman alleged that the state government had failed to make adequate use of its resources to address pressing challenges facing residents.

“It is apparent that Governor Makinde has failed to utilise the humongous revenues to transform the state as he continues to waste taxpayers’ money on inanities and cosmetic projects,” Sadare alleged.

The party urged the state government to clarify the operational status of the surveillance aircraft and strengthen security measures in vulnerable communities across the state, particularly in the wake of the latest attack.