Lamido Rejects Wike’s Coalition, Pledges Support for PDP Candidates

Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has declared his support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2027 general elections, distancing himself from the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

Lamido also dismissed suggestions that he had endorsed Tinubu or agreed to participate in Wike’s political arrangement, insisting that he remained committed to the PDP and would vote for its candidates at all levels.

The former governor stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, where he reaffirmed his loyalty to the opposition party.

He said he intended to vote for PDP candidates in council, state and federal elections, including the presidential poll. Lamido also identified Professor Sandy Onor as his preferred PDP presidential candidate.

Asked whether his position meant he was opposing Wike’s proposed alliance with Tinubu, Lamido said the FCT minister had neither contacted nor consulted him about the arrangement.

He added that he had not met Wike since shortly after the PDP convention and that they had not discussed the 2027 elections.

Lamido also challenged claims that Wike had contributed more than him towards sustaining the PDP. While acknowledging the minister’s financial support for the party, he argued that his legal actions concerning the party’s national convention had played a more important role.

He maintained that his case at the Supreme Court was instrumental in the annulment of the PDP’s Ibadan national convention, insisting that the outcome was based on his legal challenge rather than Wike’s activities.

Lamido had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja after alleging that the party denied him access to nomination forms to contest for its national chairmanship ahead of the November 2025 convention.

The court ruled in his favour in November 2025, directing the PDP to allow him to participate before proceeding with the convention. However, the party went ahead with the exercise.

The Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment in March 2026, while the Supreme Court nullified the Ibadan convention on April 30, 2026, further deepening the party’s leadership crisis.

Wike, who served as Rivers State governor between 2015 and 2023, has been promoting the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party arrangement designed to mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

The minister has argued that the coalition does not prevent the PDP from presenting candidates for governorship and legislative elections. Under the arrangement, members of different parties can support Tinubu for president while voting for candidates of their preferred parties in other contests.

The initiative has, however, generated disagreements within the PDP, with some stakeholders questioning Wike’s continued involvement in the opposition party while serving in Tinubu’s administration.