Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, yesterday predicted a wider political realignment in the country ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying more politicians would soon join what he described as a “larger Rainbow Coalition” in support of President Bola Tinubu.

Wike said the recent visit of Osun State reelected Governor Ademola Adeleke to President Tinubu was a pointer to the emerging political configuration ahead of the presidential election.

He said the development should not be interpreted simply as an opposition alliance or partisan realignment.

Also yesterday, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, flagged off his campaign in Onitsha, Anambra State with a promise to turn Nigeria’s large and youthful population into a productive economic asset.

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Nigeria’s population of more than 200 million, he said, should be viewed as an opportunity for economic transformation rather than a burden.

Wike, during an inspection of some ongoing projects in Abuja yesterday said the political landscape ahead of 2027 is changing rapidly, with politicians belonging to different parties increasingly finding common ground around the Tinubu presidency.

Wike said Adeleke’s engagement with Tinubu demonstrated that political actors could belong to different political parties and still work together to secure the President’s victory in 2027.

“What happened last night is meeting to rebuild a larger Rainbow Coalition. And he (Adeleke) is supporting Mr President. He’s in a different party; I’m supporting Mr President, and I’m in a different party. So, it’s a larger Rainbow Coalition,” Wike said.

He predicted that the coalition would become bigger in the coming weeks.

“And the next few weeks, watch what is going to happen. You will see a larger Rainbow Coalition in this country supporting Mr President,” he said.

The FCT minister’s comments come against the backdrop of growing political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with politicians across party lines positioning themselves for the next electoral battle.

While opposition parties and political groups have continued efforts to build a formidable platform capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Wike argued that the opposition was currently too fragmented and weakened by internal crises to constitute a serious threat to Tinubu.

He particularly dismissed the notion of a clearly defined “leading opposition” party, insisting that the political landscape had changed considerably.

“When you say opposition, I’ve told you I don’t know what you call opposition, as far as there is no opposition now,” he said.

The minister also took a swipe at members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) who, according to him, had claimed credit for Adeleke’s electoral success in Osun State.

Wike said such claims amounted to an attempt to reap political benefits from work they did not undertake.

“All those ADC who are talking about ‘they helped Adeleke to win,’ they just wanted to go and harvest where they never planted,” he said.

He maintained that Adeleke remained a member of the PDP despite securing his governorship ticket on the platform of the Accord Party, adding that the governor-elect’s political engagement with Tinubu was part of the wider realignment taking place across the country.

Obi: we’ll turn Nigeria’s population into economic asset

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Obi, speaking at a press conference to flag off his campaign, said human capital and domestic market must become engines of growth, investment and job creation.

According to him, the country has the population, labour force and domestic market required to build a strong economy, but must urgently move away from a consumption-driven model.

“Nigeria, with a population now exceeding two hundred million and continuing to grow rapidly, has one of Africa’s largest domestic markets and labour forces. This is an opportunity we must capitalise on to transform our nation’s future,” Obi said.

The former Anambra State governor declared that Nigeria could not achieve prosperity by relying heavily on imports.

“Nigeria cannot import its way to prosperity. We will produce more of what we consume, process more of what we produce, and compete more effectively in global markets,” he said.

Obi said his administration, if elected, would seek to transform the country’s population into productive human capital while turning its natural resources into value-added industries.

“We will harness our collective experience in public funds management, the private sector, and the civil service to turn our population into productive human capital, our natural resources into value-added industries, and our domestic market into an engine for investment and enterprise,” he said.

He identified agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy, creative industries and services as sectors that could play vital roles in driving economic expansion and creating employment.

Obi said the focus should be on building an economy where Nigerians could produce, earn and create wealth, rather than one sustained by imports and consumption.

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He argued that the success of economic policies should ultimately be measured by their effect on ordinary Nigerians and businesses.

ADC prepares for sustained, issue-based campaign, targets grassroots engagement

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is yet to formally launch its presidential campaign but party sources said yesterday that it is prepared for a sustained grassroots campaign and active engagement of voters across communities.

One of the sources said the ADC was deliberately taking a long-term approach to its campaign, rather than rushing to commence activities immediately after the official lifting of the campaign ban.

The source said the party is currently putting its campaign structure in place and has sufficient time before the elections to organise its operations and mobilise supporters. (The Nation)