Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
The Nasarawa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared its support for the “Rainbow Coalition” being promoted by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as political alignments intensify ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The declaration was made on Saturday during the formal launch of the PDP governorship campaign of Dr David Ombugadu in Lafia, where the party’s candidate said the Nasarawa chapter was prepared to align with decisions taken by the coalition’s leadership.
Ombugadu said the state chapter stood behind Wike and was awaiting further direction from the former Rivers State governor on the coalition’s activities.
“We want to affirm today, and now, that we — the entire Nasarawa State — stand for Rainbow Coalition. We are all united in support of our national leader,” Ombugadu said, according to reports of the event carried by Nigerian media.
He added that the state chapter was prepared to follow the direction of Wike and urged national party representatives to convey the goodwill of Nasarawa supporters to the FCT minister.
Ombugadu Links Coalition Support to 2027 Political Strategy
The declaration places the Nasarawa PDP chapter within the growing network of political actors associating themselves with Wike’s Rainbow Coalition.
Wike has described the coalition as a multi-party platform through which politicians from different parties can support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 while retaining their separate party identities.
In September, Wike clarified that his support for Tinubu did not mean the PDP would be prevented from fielding candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
He said the coalition was separate from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was intended to mobilise support for Tinubu across party lines.
The distinction is important because the 2027 elections will involve presidential, governorship and legislative contests, creating circumstances in which politicians could cooperate at one level while competing at another.
Wike’s Rainbow Coalition Expands Across Party Lines
The Rainbow Coalition has emerged as one of the political realignment efforts taking shape ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike has publicly linked the initiative to support for Tinubu and has said the emerging alliance could bring together politicians from different political parties.
In August, Wike said an expanded “rainbow coalition” would emerge around the President’s re-election campaign. He cited political developments involving Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke as part of the broader realignment taking place ahead of the election.
The coalition has also generated debate within the ruling APC.
The Progressive Governors’ Forum has expressed opposition to political arrangements that it believes could undermine APC structures or its candidates, while Wike has maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is not an APC structure.
The disagreement reflects competing approaches to the 2027 election: one centred on the formal structures of the ruling party and another based on a broader cross-party arrangement supporting the President at the presidential level.
Nasarawa PDP Campaign Focuses on State Issues
While declaring support for the Rainbow Coalition, Ombugadu also used the campaign launch to outline issues he said would form part of his political agenda in Nasarawa State.
He highlighted the state’s mineral resources, including gold, lithium and wolframite, and argued that the benefits of those resources had not been sufficiently distributed among residents.
Ombugadu also pledged to prioritise healthcare and agricultural security if elected governor.
He said his proposed administration would focus on improving access to healthcare for pregnant women and creating safer conditions for farmers.
The PDP candidate also said his campaign had developed a five-year manifesto with security and women’s economic development among its priorities.
PDP National Leadership Backs Nasarawa Campaign
The campaign event also featured the PDP National Deputy Chairman (North), Yusuf Nya Agirikwe, who described the party as having a strong political base in Nasarawa.
Agirikwe urged party members to mobilise voters at the grassroots and protect their votes during the 2027 electoral process.
His comments underline the PDP’s focus on strengthening its organisation in the state as the next election approaches.
The party’s activities in Nasarawa are taking place against a broader backdrop of political competition and realignment involving the PDP, APC and emerging coalition structures.
Nasarawa’s Political Landscape
The Rainbow Coalition declaration by the Nasarawa PDP chapter comes at a time of competing political movements in the state.
In July, a group identified with the Wike-aligned faction of the PDP in Nasarawa announced its defection to the APC and declared support for President Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule.
More recently, Governor Sule has commented on the disagreement surrounding Wike’s coalition, saying he was not among the APC governors identified by Wike as opposing the initiative.
Sule also questioned the rationale for a coalition designed to support a president who is seeking re-election while its leading promoter remains a member of another political party.
The contrasting positions illustrate the fluid nature of political alliances in Nasarawa ahead of 2027.
What the Development Means for 2027
The Nasarawa PDP’s declaration is significant because it connects a major opposition party structure in the state to a coalition that Wike has associated with support for Tinubu’s presidential bid.
However, the declaration does not by itself establish that the Nasarawa PDP has abandoned the party’s own candidates or structures for state and legislative elections.
Wike has repeatedly stated that parties participating in the Rainbow Coalition can continue to contest elections at other levels.
For the Nasarawa PDP, the immediate challenge will therefore be managing its participation in the coalition alongside its own campaign for the governorship and legislative seats.
The political implications will depend on how the coalition is organised at the state and local-government levels and how its participating parties coordinate their activities as the 2027 election approaches.
What Happens Next
The Nasarawa PDP is expected to continue its governorship campaign under Ombugadu while maintaining its stated alignment with the Rainbow Coalition.
Further clarification from the coalition leadership could determine how the Nasarawa chapter participates in the wider political arrangement and how that relationship affects the party’s strategy for governorship and legislative contests.
For now, the state chapter’s position is that it supports the Rainbow Coalition and will await direction from Wike and the coalition’s leadership.
The development adds Nasarawa to the growing list of states where politicians and political organisations are publicly discussing or aligning with the emerging coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Weng Global – stories beyond borders
Sources
- The Voice Newspaper
- Vanguard
- Channels Television
- Premium Times
- The Guardian Nigeria
- Punch
