Wike says his Rainbow Coalition helped Okpebholo win the 2024 Edo governorship election by defeating PDP candidate Asue Ighodalo
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has claimed that his Rainbow Coalition played a role in the emergence of Monday Okpebholo as Edo State governor after the 2024 governorship election.
Also read: Wike Declares Self Tinubu’s FCT Campaign Commander
Wike made the disclosure on Monday, October 12, 2026, during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, where he discussed his involvement in the contest between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former Rivers State governor said his group worked to prevent then-governor Godwin Obaseki from determining his successor, a position that influenced his opposition to the PDP candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo.
According to Wike, although he considered Ighodalo a capable candidate, he opposed his ambition because he viewed the election as a contest against Obaseki’s political influence.
“I said I would not allow Obaseki to produce a successor, even though the candidate was a very good candidate, a very good candidate who was the chairman of a bank,” Wike said.
He claimed that Ighodalo visited him more than three times in an attempt to secure his support but that he remained opposed to the candidate because of his association with the outgoing governor.
Wike added that he told Ighodalo he could not support his bid because doing so would amount to allowing Obaseki to retain political influence through a successor.
“Returning you would be like bringing him back, so I am sorry, you have to fail,” Wike recalled telling Ighodalo. “And he failed.”
Wike’s remarks offer an account of his political calculations during the 2024 Edo governorship election, which saw Okpebholo contest for the APC against Ighodalo of the PDP.
The FCT minister attributed a role in Okpebholo’s victory to his Rainbow Coalition, although his comments did not independently establish the extent of the group’s influence on the final outcome.
His account also highlighted the political rivalry between him and Obaseki, whose preferred successor was Ighodalo.
The comments come as political figures and coalitions begin positioning themselves ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election.
Also read: Wike Declares Self Tinubu’s FCT Campaign Commander
Wike has continued to discuss his political strategy and relationships across party lines, including his support for President Bola Tinubu and his engagement with political stakeholders.
