Several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress have rejected the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, with some party leaders calling on him to formally join the APC if he intends to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
The development follows renewed disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over how political support for Tinubu should be organised ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, has repeatedly said he will support Tinubu’s re-election while allowing the PDP and other parties to field candidates in governorship and legislative contests.
In a recent statement, Wike said the Rainbow Coalition was not an APC arrangement but a platform through which members of different political parties could mobilise support for Tinubu at the presidential level.
However, several APC officials have argued that supporting the President while backing candidates outside the ruling party could create divided political interests within the APC.
APC Chapters Reject Coalition
In Imo State, the APC rejected the Rainbow Coalition, with the state party leadership maintaining that the APC remains its political platform in the state.
The position follows earlier opposition from APC governors. The Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, said APC governors had resolved not to participate in or support political arrangements that could undermine the party or its candidates.
In Gombe, the APC publicity secretary, Murtala Usman, also urged Wike to formally join the APC, arguing that the party does not need a separate coalition.
Other APC chapters, including those in parts of the South-East, have similarly rejected the arrangement and expressed support for the party’s candidates at all levels.
Zamfara Governor Challenges Wike
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has also called on Wike to choose between joining the APC and continuing with the Rainbow Coalition.
Lawal said Wike could not simultaneously support Tinubu’s re-election while backing candidates of other political parties in the 2027 elections.
The governor maintained that the position of APC governors on the coalition had not changed and that Wike should clarify his political allegiance ahead of the elections.
Wike Maintains His Position
Wike has rejected the argument that supporting Tinubu requires him to leave the PDP.
The FCT minister has said he will mobilise support for Tinubu’s presidential re-election but that the PDP remains free to contest governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
He also argued that political support for a presidential candidate does not necessarily translate into support for the same party’s candidates in every other contest.
The disagreement therefore centres on whether Wike’s proposed cross-party mobilisation can operate alongside the APC’s own political structure and candidates as the 2027 elections approach.
For now, Wike remains a PDP member, while several APC state chapters have publicly rejected the Rainbow Coalition and called on him to join the ruling party if he wants to operate fully within its political structure.
Source: PUNCH Newspapers, with additional verification from Channels Television, Premium Times, The Guardian and other reports.
