The Broom and the Rainbow: Two Platforms, One President, by Tunde Rahman

To some, especially in the opposition camp, it may seem like a political storm brewing, but the commotion in Abuja over Nyesom Wike’s Rainbow Coalition and the Progressive Governors Forum’s reaction is not a crisis. It is a sign that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political architecture for 2027 is up and running.

To fully understand this, you need to understand the President and why many see him as a master strategist.
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike was unequivocal. He did not ask to join the All Progressives Congress. He did not ask APC governors for an alliance. As a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party serving in the APC government, he is building a Rainbow Coalition, a platform of PDP, APC and other party members whose sole mandate is to provide votes for the re-election of President Tinubu.

In Rivers State, the APC itself has endorsed this model, perhaps because Wike controls both APC and PDP structures in the state. The APC in the state has laid out a compelling premise for its endorsement: all politics is local and coalition is necessary to protect President Tinubu’s votes.

Many may not like him for his courage, his style and the controversies he seems to cultivate, but in my opinion the FCT minister is not weakening the APC. He is expanding Tinubu’s base beyond the APC, to places the APC cannot normally reach as he will.

As former Vice President of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, he rightly called, is a “political masterstroke that is broadening the President’s support base.”

In contrast, APC governors led by their Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodimma, have also declared that their commitment is “exclusively to all APC candidates”. They stressed that they will not support any deal that would jeopardize the re-election of President Tinubu.

They’re right. As party leaders in their respective states, their job is to secure the passage of the APC from the governorship to the House of Assembly. But they fear that a coalition that helps President Tinubu at the top, but pits PDP candidates against APC candidates at the grassroots, could confuse voters and endanger APC candidates.

This is a legitimate organizational concern. He is not anti-Tinubu. It is a pro-party discipline. Both are right to want to protect their territory and galvanize their respective interests. This is where the genius of President Tinubu comes into play.

This situation can rightly be described as two legs of one body. APC governors represent the first stage, the official structure of the party, which guarantees the party’s vote in 31 states. Wike’s Rainbow Coalition is the second leg, the extra-party structure, distributing votes from PDP strongholds, from Rivers to Oyo to parts of the North.

Does this imply that the President should not care less about the fate that befalls APC candidates at various levels? Absolutely not! As the national leader of the APC, he should do so.

But President Tinubu does not need to choose between APC governors and the Rainbow Coalition. He needs both. In 2023, he won in Rivers without Wike’s coalition structure being fully formed as it currently is. In 2027, the Progressive Governors Forum and the Rainbow Coalition will rally for him in several territories.

As Bolaji Adebiyi argued in an article in Thisday on Friday, Wike has demonstrated organizational capacity by fielding PDP candidates in 26 of the 28 states holding elections in January, including in several states where opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress cannot field candidates. The sage observed that such an individual cannot be cast aside. Its support is as important and strategic as it was in 2023.

This split will not hurt President Tinubu as the opposition might expect, because what matters is whether the coalition will bring votes for the president. In my opinion, it can. Those hoping the disagreement could cause a political rift within Villa should put that thought behind them.

The president is on holiday in France and is expected to negotiate a truce himself upon his return, because he is the only leader listened to by both sides.
This is not a house divided. It is a large tent that allows mutual accommodation.

APC governors will lead the official campaign. Wike will lead the coalition campaign for non-APC voters who love the president and want him re-elected. Both trends are headed by the same commander in chief.

Ultimately, the Rainbow Coalition and the Progressive Governors Forum have one critical mission: the election of President Tinubu to a second term. Both will have a statement and it will be titled “For the re-election of Tinubu”. This is not hustle. It’s a winning strategy.

*Rahman is Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Special Duties.