By Wilbet Ijeoma
The 5/5 “All-The-Way” demand by the ruling party to deliver all flag bearers of the party across all elective position is noticeably becoming unpopular and unfashionable in recent times. Electorates, especially some honest leaders in the party are becoming more aware that some flag bearers lack competence or antecedents and were foisted on them.
In the other divide of the minority parties where there is dearth of adequate and qualified candidates to vie for all elective positions but some, the parties are left open to adopting candidates from other political parties in those positions they couldn’t field. These two reasons amongst others have become germane and form a thrust for the Rainbow Coalition postulated by the Honourable Minister of FCT, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
Recently making the rounds is the faceoff between the Honourable Minister of FCT and former Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and Imo State Governor and Chairman of APC Governors Forum, Governor Hope Uzodinma, over the emergence of the Rainbow Coalition by the former as an organ to steer the re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu.
The APC Governors Forum in a press briefing dissociated self from the Rainbow Coalition and discountenance same, deeming it as anti-party or cross-party, capable of undermining the vote strength of President Tinubu in the forthcoming 2027 general elections.
Responding to the position of the APC Governors Forum led by Uzodinma, Wike condemned the interference of the APC Governors in Rivers State politics where the Rainbow Coalition was birthed, adding that it is a political doctrine that has been working for the people of Rivers State before now and nothing can change it. He assured that the Rainbow Coalition has the potential to deliver more votes for President Tinubu come 2027.
Making a sweep of the APC Governors, Wike described them as lazy, incapable for mobilizing their people and advised them to focus on how to redeem their image by delivering their respective states for President Tinubu come 2027 general elections. “Most of them could not deliver up to 25% for Mr President in 2023, and they are coming here to say No to Rainbow Coalition; if you don’t understand it, come to Rivers State, we will teach you;” Wike maintained.
Rainbow Coalition is a conception that contemplates and empower the people to choose candidates irrespective of the political party fielding them. The coalition is also meant to be deployed in voting one candidate, likely President Tinubu, by different political parties (who have no presidential candidates) bearing different spectrum of colours like the rainbow colours.
The Rainbow Coalition in principle ultra vires the 5/5 “All-The-Way” party demand which, instead of appealing to the choices of the electorates, demands that the electorates vote for all the party candidates for all positions, from top to bottom. While the Rainbow Coalition is people-oriented, the 5/5 “All-The-Way” demand is a concoction of party leadership forced down the throat of electorates to enable sycophancy amongst themselves.
Modern day politics is evolving to the true meaning of democracy as the people are empowered, becoming more aware and more involved in choosing and electing their leaders. This suggests that Wike could be right by his postulation of the Rainbow Coalition which empowers the electorate to belong to the party of their choice and vote the candidate of their choice irrespective of political affiliation.
The backdrop that gave rise to the Rainbow Coalition is now far-fetched. One of the contributive factors is the make-believe in the internal politics of political parties during primaries. Recently, political parties predetermine the flag bearer that emerges for their party either through consensus or skewed voting in secret ballot, leaving a likely popular and qualified candidate aggrieved and open to leaving the party for another party where there is a level-playing ground to pick the ticket and represent his people.
The above factor with several others is the reason why popular and eligible candidates for different elective positions are scattered across political parties brandishing different colours.
The Rainbow Coalition therefore is a deliberate attempt to bring together these candidates and the electorates scattered across political parties under one umbrella to satisfy the choices of the people and not the demands of party. It is then proper to assign this coalition the rainbow colour since different political parties with spectrum of colours are representing one interest – that of the people.
The Wike Rainbow Coalition postulation is indeed the right way to go to address the characteristic fraud and sharp practices within political parties that robs popular and eligible candidates off the tickets during primaries, and undermines the overriding choices of the people during the general elections.
