NEWS
FCT: PDP National Assembly Candidates Agree to Step Down for APC After Wike’s Rainbow Coalition Meeting
In a major political development ahead of the 2027 general elections, all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Assembly candidates in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have reportedly agreed to step down and declare support for their counterparts in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The reported agreement emerged from a meeting of the Rainbow Coalition hosted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, at his Abuja residence, with key stakeholders from both the APC and the PDP in attendance.
The development points to a possible political realignment in the FCT, where discussions involving leaders and stakeholders from the two parties have reportedly resulted in an understanding that could reshape the contest for National Assembly seats in the territory.
Under the reported arrangement, PDP candidates seeking election to the Senate and the House of Representatives in the FCT would withdraw their ambitions in favour of APC candidates, although further details on the implementation of the agreement and the formal positions of the candidates were not immediately provided.
Speaking during the meeting, Wike offered an insight into his political calculations involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the forthcoming elections, suggesting that he was willing to allow the President’s party to secure the FCT National Assembly seats while seeking political concessions for the PDP in Rivers State.
Wike said:
“Because President Tinubu lives here in Abuja, I don’t want to share anything with him. I said, oga, take Senator and the two House of Representatives for your party.
“But in Rivers State, I’ll take small for my party to show I’m the National Leader of PDP. No be so? Will I go empty-handed?“
The statement highlights Wike’s position on balancing political interests between Abuja, the seat of the Federal Government, and Rivers State, his home state, where he continues to maintain political influence despite the PDP’s internal divisions and his working relationship with the Tinubu administration.
The reported agreement also raises questions about the implications for the PDP’s electoral participation in the FCT and the extent to which the proposed arrangement could affect competition between the two parties in 2027.
However, the formal confirmation of the reported withdrawal by the individual PDP candidates, as well as the precise terms of the understanding reached at the meeting, remains important to establishing the full scope of the development.
With political alignments gathering momentum ahead of the next general elections, the outcome of the Rainbow Coalition meeting could become a significant talking point in the evolving relationship between the APC, the PDP and their respective p
olitical stakeholders.