Three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Assembly candidates in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have withdrawn from the 2027 race in favour of their All Progressives Congress (APC) rivals, following a cross-party political gathering convened by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The candidates are Gomna Stephen Gashe, running for the Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kwali/Kuje federal constituency; Ahmed Dogara Jacob, for the Municipal/Bwari federal constituency; and Angulu Bako, the PDP’s senatorial candidate.
They announced their withdrawal on Monday, October 12, 2026, at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja.
The beneficiaries are APC candidates Danladi Chiya for Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kwali/Kuje, Shekwogaza Gabaya for Municipal/Bwari, and Philip Aduda, who is seeking a Senate seat.
Wike said he was prepared to concede the FCT National Assembly seats to the APC because President Bola Tinubu lives in the territory. He positioned himself as the “commander of field operations” for Tinubu’s re-election campaign in both the FCT and Rivers State.
According to the FCT minister, partisan labels should not stand in the way of the coalition’s shared goal: securing Tinubu’s return to office in 2027. The PDP candidates subsequently pledged loyalty to Wike and committed to working with him.
“Ordinarily, as the national leader of the PDP, I should have told them to allow me to take one. But because the president resides here [FCT], he lives here. I don’t want to share anything with the president. Take senator and the two house of representatives [seats]. But in my state [Rivers], I will take small,” he said.
The PDP candidates subsequently took turns pledging their loyalty to Wike and promising to work with him.
The development comes amid a disagreement between Wike and APC governors over his rainbow coalition, which brings together politicians from different parties to support Tinubu’s re-election.
The APC governors had said they would not endorse any alliance or political arrangement that could undermine Tinubu’s re-election bid or the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections.
The governors also said they would not entertain arrangements that could “create confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests” within the APC.
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