2027: Kwara stakeholder backs Wike-led Rainbow Coalition

File Photo: FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike

A prominent political stakeholder in Kwara State, Ibrahim Olesin, has backed the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike-led Rainbow Coalition, dismissing opposition to the alliance by some All Progressives Congress governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Olesin, in a statement on Wednesday, said the governors should concentrate on the performance of their respective administrations and leave political alliances to the actors involved, stressing that the electorate would ultimately determine the fate of candidates at the polls.

His position followed a recent declaration by the APC Governors Forum that its members would oppose any political arrangement considered capable of weakening the ruling party, undermining President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or affecting the electoral prospects of APC candidates.

However, Olesin argued that the governors could not determine the political partnerships available to Wike and other members of the coalition.

“Wike is the leader of the coalition and he has every political right to decide who the coalition will work with and support in the election,” he said.

The Kwara top politician maintained that political coalitions involving different parties and groups were permissible within a democratic system, particularly where parties without presidential candidates decided to support a candidate on another platform.

“Are political parties without presidential candidates forbidden from working with a presidential candidate of their choice?” Olesin queried.

He continued, “There is no democratic principle that says a political party must support only a candidate produced on its own platform.”

The stakeholder said the attention of governors opposed to the coalition would be better directed towards demonstrating what their administrations had achieved with public funds rather than attempting to stop emerging political alliances.

“If the governors are proud of their achievements, let them showcase what they have been able to achieve with the allocations they have received so far,” he challenged the opposition team.

Olesin insisted that the increase in federal allocations to state governments had raised questions about whether the additional resources were producing measurable improvements in the lives of citizens.

He listed poverty reduction, education, healthcare, job creation, infrastructure, agriculture, human capital development and social protection among areas where governors should be prepared to account for their performance.

“Governors should show Nigerians how increased resources have translated into better lives for ordinary citizens,” Olesin said.

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He urged the governors to take their records to the electorate if they believed their performance would earn them public support, rather than focusing on the activities of the coalition.

Olesin also rejected the suggestion that the coalition’s decision to support Tinubu should be a source of concern to those within the President’s political camp, noting that Wike had already made his position on the President clear.

“Wike has chosen to support President Tinubu. The coalition has chosen to support President Tinubu. That support should be welcomed as part of the democratic process,” he said.

He further argued that the President should be allowed to determine the political alliances he considers useful to his 2027 campaign, rather than having such decisions dictated by governors.

“No governor should assume the responsibility of determining which political relationships the President should accept,” Olesin said.

The Kwara stakeholder called on APC governors to strengthen their relationship with the electorate and their party structures, saying political support should be earned through governance and engagement with the people.

“They should face governance, engage their people, strengthen their party structures and persuade voters with their records rather than attempting to dictate the limits of political alliances,” he urged.

Olesin described the Rainbow Coalition as part of the political realignment ahead of the 2027 elections and said its members should be allowed to make their political choices within the law.

“The Rainbow Coalition is genuine. Wike has the right to lead it. The coalition has the right to choose who it supports. And Nigerians have the ultimate right to decide who they vote for,” he said.

He added that the 2027 contest should ultimately be settled by voters based on the records and campaign messages presented by political actors.

“Politics should be about persuasion, not prescription. Governance should be about accountability, not excuses. Democracy should be about allowing the people to make their choices freely

“The coalition has come to stay. Rather than fighting it, let every political actor return to the people, present their records, make their case and allow Nigerians to decide,” he declared.