Unveils Rainbow Coalition candidates
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has directed his supporters to stop addressing him as their political leader, declaring that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike is now the leader of the Rainbow Coalition following their reconciliation.
Fubara made the declaration on Tuesday at the unveiling of the coalition’s candidates for the 2027 elections at Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt, where he publicly reaffirmed his allegiance to Wike despite being the sitting governor.
The Rainbow Coalition, initiated by Wike, is a political platform bringing together members of different parties to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Addressing members of the coalition, Fubara acknowledged that some of his loyalists who stood by him during the protracted political crisis in Rivers State still referred to him as their leader during meetings.
He, however, insisted that the reconciliation had ended the rivalry between the two camps and that members must now recognise Wike’s leadership.
“I’m aware there are some issues where some persons who followed me when we had the crisis, when you’re at your meeting, you say, ‘My leader, my leader.’
“We are now in one house. And because we have one house, there is no issue about who is the leader. I might be your oga (governor), but we have a common leader now,” Fubara said.
He added, “Going forward, this issue of my leader, my leader, my leader, I want it resolved here and now.”
The governor subsequently referred to Wike as “my oga” and the “G.O. of Rainbow Coalition”, signalling his acceptance of the former governor’s leadership of the political platform.
Fubara pledges support for Tinubu, Wike’s coalition
Expressing satisfaction with the reconciliation, Fubara described the coalition as his political family and acknowledged Wike’s role in his emergence as Rivers State governor.
He said he was committed to working for Tinubu’s re-election and securing victory for the coalition’s candidates in the 2027 elections.
“I’m really happy to be here. Not just being here, but standing in the midst of my family. This is my family because I wouldn’t have been the governor of Rivers State if God Almighty had not passed through my oga and other leaders to make it possible in our dear state,” he said.
Fubara added that he would do everything within his power to ensure victory for Tinubu and preserve the political influence of the coalition in Rivers State.
The governor also described the opportunity to unveil the candidates as a rare honour, expressing confidence in the platform’s prospects in the January 2027 elections.
How Wike and Fubara’s political crisis unfolded
The reconciliation marks a significant development in the political relationship between Fubara and Wike, whose fallout began in October 2023, barely six months after the governor assumed office.
The disagreement, rooted in control of Rivers State’s political structures and the influence of Wike’s loyalists in the House of Assembly, escalated into impeachment moves against Fubara, a division within the legislature and prolonged legal battles.
A peace agreement brokered by President Tinubu in December 2023 failed to resolve the dispute, which continued over budgetary matters, local government elections and political appointments.
On March 18, 2025, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy and members of the state House of Assembly for six months. Fubara returned to office in September 2025, although political tensions persisted.
The latest rapprochement comes amid preparations for the 2027 general elections, with both men now publicly presenting a united front under the Rainbow Coalition.
Wike rallies support for Tinubu, attacks opposition
Speaking at the event, Wike said the Rainbow Coalition was established to unite members of different political parties behind Tinubu’s re-election bid, insisting that the platform was not intended to create political crises.
“The Rainbow Coalition means no harm but to bring people of all the various political parties together to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the minister said.
He urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party across the country to support Tinubu in 2027, declaring that the decision had been reached with the backing of the party’s National Working Committee.
Wike also criticised former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is associated with the African Democratic Congress, questioning their consistency and suitability for national leadership.
He accused Atiku of frequently changing his positions and recalled Amaechi’s opposition to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election in 2015 over the unwritten power-sharing arrangement between northern and southern Nigeria.
Wike’s allegations against Amaechi were political criticisms; the remarks cited at the event did not establish any criminal wrongdoing.
The FCT minister further maintained that there was no faction in the PDP, claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission had recognised Abdulrahman Mohammed as the party’s national chairman.
He directed PDP members in states including Imo, Kwara, Gombe, Zamfara and Ogun to support Tinubu’s re-election.
Wike also announced that Tinubu would visit Port Harcourt on November 7 for a presidential campaign rally at Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.
Rainbow Coalition faces different political positions in Imo
While Wike and Fubara promoted the coalition in Rivers State, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma ruled out its presence in his state, insisting that the All Progressives Congress remained the platform his supporters should back.
Speaking in Owerri during the distribution of campaign vehicles by the PBAT Door-to-door Movement, Uzodimma urged members to work for Tinubu and APC candidates across elective positions.
“The All Progressives Congress, APC, is the only party that we can trust,” the governor said, calling on supporters to vote for the party in state and federal elections.
He also assured Tinubu of substantial support from Imo State, attributing his confidence to what he described as the President’s performance.
“There is no Rainbow Coalition in Imo State,” Uzodimma declared.
The contrasting positions in Rivers and Imo highlight differing approaches among Tinubu’s supporters as political alignments take shape ahead of the 2027 elections.
