The Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party alliance in Rivers State loyal to Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has strengthened its political reach and grip, and appears set for the 2027 governorship elections.
As Wike’s camp takes total control of Rivers politics, the core of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s former political machinery- Hon. Edison Ehie (former Speaker, and later Chief of Staff), and Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo (factional Speaker) are now facing severe political isolation.
Wike held a high-stakes, closed-door meeting with key members of the Rainbow Coalition in Port Harcourt last Saturday, wherein the key issue of presenting
a united front for a consensus governorship candidate was discussed.
The Rainbow Coalition so far has four political parties in its fold, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Labour Party (LP), and the Action Alliance (AA).
Some political parties, according to an informed source, are also lining up for membership, but are currently discussing terms and conditions.
Similarly, a vocal pressure group, which backed Fubara, Rivers Women Unite for Sim (RWUS), has also aligned with the Rainbow Coalition and is endorsing APC candidates, including Kingsley Chinda.
The group’s convener, Sotonye Toby-Fulton, and its members called for unity among local groups to ensure stability and progress in the state.
Also, Amb. Chijioke Ihunwo, the highly vocal former Obio/Akpor Local Government Chairman and once one of Fubara’s fiercest defenders, has made a U-turn, pledging alliance to the Rainbow Coalition.
Ihunwo, a former Rivers youth leader who was the caretaker chairman in Wike’s Obio/Akpor LGA before the Supreme Court sacked him and other Fubara loyalists, announced his decision to join the coalition barely 24 hours after Wike’s media chat.
It, however, seems that there is no place within the Rainbow Coalition to accommodate Ehie and Oko-Jumbo, or they have simply kept their distance from the ongoing political realignment.
Upon his return to Wike’s camp, Fubara had openly urged his remaining loyalists to dissolve parallel movements and join the cross-party alliance.
The governor also declared his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term, and equally endorsed the current House Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, as the consensus choice for the next Rivers governorship.
While some of his supporters have realigned, some of his loyalists have criticised the sudden alignment, seeing it as a surrender that lacked prior consultation with the grassroots.
The FCT minister had during the media chat in Port Harcourt openly criticised Ihunwo, Hon. Edison Ehie (ex-speaker and later Fubara’s Chief of Staff) and Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo (ex-factional speaker).
Wike explicitly named them among the individuals who “misled and deceived” the governor, asserting that Ehie and Oko-Jumbo lacked the capacity to fight him, which is why Fubara ultimately abandoned them to return to the original political family.
He also declared that despite Fubara’s return to the fold, there is no automatic guarantee or soft landing for his loyalists.
During the media chat, Wike also said that Oko-Jumbo, Ehie Edison and others are free to choose their political path; politics is an individual race.”
Source: New Telegraph
