Several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have rejected the Rainbow Coalition promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Many want him to formally join the ruling party if he is genuinely committed to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election, The PUNCH reports.
The reactions follow fresh friction between Wike and APC governors over how support for the president should be organised. Wike, a former Rivers State governor, remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while serving in an APC-led federal government. The row points to a deeper question inside Tinubu’s camp: who controls the political structures that will mobilise votes in 2027?
How it started
The latest dispute began when Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal told Channels Television’s Inside Sources, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, that the governors’ position had not changed. “You can’t be on two sides,” he said, adding that the governors want “APC all the way from head to toe.” Asked whether Wike was being asked to join the APC, he replied: “Exactly.” Lawal said he would raise the matter with the President on his return.
Chapters opposed
Imo: Publicity Secretary Jones Onwuasoanya told The PUNCH that Wike should stop “playing hide and seek with his loyalty” and join the party if he is sincere. He said the coalition has no relevance in the state.
Gombe: Publicity Secretary Murtala Usman said the coalition could cause confusion among APC stakeholders, particularly where PDP defections have already strained old relationships. “Let him be a full member, not a partial member,” he said.
Ondo: Party Secretary Alex Kalejaiye rejected any arrangement that backs Tinubu but fields other parties’ candidates for other seats. Support for the party’s candidates, he said, “is not negotiable.”
Kwara: Chairman Sunday Fagbemi called the strategy “a grand deception and a confusing strategy,” noting that the presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections hold on the same day.
Plateau: Chairman Rufus Bature said the state knows nothing of any such structure and that Wike is free to join. But “he cannot be APC in the morning and PDP in the night,” he said. He also suggested Wike may be building a base for 2031 or 2035.
Nasarawa: Publicity Secretary Augustine Ogaba commended Wike’s support for Tinubu but said the party would be happier if he became a member.
Bauchi: Spokesman Shehu Dauda said the party does not believe in divided loyalty.
Anambra: Chairman Emmanuel Anosike said Wike, as a non-member, should not meddle in the party’s internal affairs.
Rivers: A faction led by Emeka Beke backed the governors’ stance. Its publicity secretary, Darlington Nwauju, said Wike should “join the APC or leave her alone.”
Bayelsa: Party chieftain Doubara Joseph said the straightforward step for anyone truly working for Tinubu is to join the APC. The state chairman, Warman Ogoriba, declined to comment.
Chapters welcoming or undecided
In Jigawa, Publicity Secretary Bashir Kundu welcomed Wike’s support for Tinubu and said he would be received if he joined. He noted that the APC itself emerged from a coalition of parties and can accommodate politicians from varied backgrounds.
Benue is split. Organising Secretary James Orgunga of one faction praised Wike but said he should join the party. Daniel Ihomun of a faction loyal to Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume said Wike should stay where he is because he “has helped to destroy PDP for us.”
Osun and Delta said the decision rests with the national leadership. In Niger, spokesman Musa Sarkin-Kaji said the party has no formal dealings with Wike but appreciates his relationship with it. Sokoto Chairman Haruna Adiya said the state has no member in the coalition and took no wider position.
In Ebonyi, Minister of Works David Umahi said there is no Rainbow Coalition in the state and warned against hate speech during campaigns.
Wike’s position
Wike has rejected claims that the coalition is an APC structure or is meant to undermine the party. Through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, he said it backs only Tinubu’s re-election and does not stop other parties from fielding governorship and legislative candidates. He has compared it to the G5 arrangement before the 2023 election, when the group supported Tinubu without joining the APC, and argues that “politics is local.”
Meanwhile, PDP figures insist he is still one of theirs. Abraham Amah, the party’s deputy governorship candidate in Abia State, said Wike “remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party” and its national leader. He described the APC’s invitation as political courting.
Source: The PUNCH. Lawal’s remarks were made on Channels Television’s Inside Sources.
