I never promised Tinubu I would join APC — Wike

Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has said he never promised President Bola Tinubu that he would defect to the All Progressives Congress.

Wike made the clarification while discussing his political relationship with the President and his support for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

The former Rivers State governor maintained that his support is for Tinubu and does not automatically extend to the APC or all of the party’s candidates.

Wike said he had never approached APC governors to negotiate his entry into the ruling party.

He also rejected suggestions that his proposed Rainbow Coalition amounted to joining or working for the APC as a political party.

According to Wike, the coalition is intended to bring together supporters of Tinubu from different political parties for the President’s re-election campaign.

He maintained that supporting Tinubu does not prevent the Peoples Democratic Party from fielding candidates against the APC in governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly elections.

Wike recalled that he and other members of the PDP’s G5 governors supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election without first joining the APC.

He said his position ahead of 2027 remains centred on mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election.

The clarification comes amid disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over the political implications of his Rainbow Coalition.

The Progressive Governors’ Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, has said its members will campaign exclusively for APC candidates at all levels.

Wike, however, maintains that his political support for Tinubu is separate from support for the APC in other electoral contests.