Several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have rejected the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, insisting that the former Rivers State governor should formally defect to the ruling party if he is committed to supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The development has deepened disagreements within the President’s political camp over how support for Tinubu should be organised ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), despite serving as a minister in the APC-led Federal Government and publicly declaring support for Tinubu’s re-election.
The Rainbow Coalition has been presented by Wike’s camp as a political platform focused on supporting Tinubu at the presidential level while allowing politicians and groups within the coalition to pursue their own interests in governorship and legislative contests.
However, several APC leaders argue that such an arrangement could conflict with the party’s campaign structure and its candidates at other levels of the election.
The latest opposition to Wike’s political arrangement follows an earlier position by APC governors rejecting alliances that could undermine the party or its candidates.
APC Governors Forum Chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, said the governors had resolved not to support any political arrangement capable of weakening the APC or affecting the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections.
The governors said their campaign commitment would remain focused on APC candidates across all levels.
The position has now been echoed by APC leaders in several states.
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has been particularly direct in asking Wike to clarify his political allegiance.
Speaking on Channels Television's Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lawal said Wike could not simultaneously remain in the PDP, support Tinubu and work with political candidates from other parties.
“Our message is very, very clear: Be on one side. You can’t be on two sides,” Lawal said.
He added that if Wike was sincere about supporting Tinubu, he should join the APC and campaign for the party’s candidates across the various electoral positions.
Lawal also indicated that he intended to raise the matter with Tinubu when the President returned to Nigeria.
The resistance is not limited to the APC Governors Forum.
The APC in Imo State reportedly dismissed the Rainbow Coalition as a political structure with significance in the state, while APC leaders in other states questioned the idea of supporting a presidential candidate while backing candidates outside the ruling party in other contests.
In Niger State, APC spokesman Musa Sarkin-Kaji said the party appreciated Wike’s relationship with its leadership but noted that he remained free to make his own political choices.
Bauchi APC spokesman Shehu Dauda, however, said the party did not support what he described as divided loyalty, insisting that those supporting the APC should also support its candidates.
Wike’s camp has rejected the argument that the Rainbow Coalition is an attempt to create an alternative APC structure.
His Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, has maintained that the coalition is specifically focused on supporting Tinubu’s presidential bid and does not prevent other political parties from contesting governorship and legislative elections.
Wike has also referenced the 2023 election period, when he and other members of the PDP's G5 supported Tinubu without formally leaving the PDP.
The dispute therefore centres on whether support for Tinubu in 2027 can operate separately from support for APC candidates contesting other offices.
The disagreement reflects the broader political realignment taking place ahead of the 2027 elections, as parties and political blocs attempt to consolidate support for presidential, governorship and legislative contests.
While Wike has publicly maintained his support for Tinubu, he has not formally defected from the PDP. At the same time, APC leaders are increasingly calling for a clearer alignment between support for the President and membership of the ruling party.
For now, Wike remains a PDP member and Tinubu's minister, while the APC leadership continues to insist that its campaign machinery should support candidates officially sponsored by the party.
The question of whether Wike will eventually join the APC remains unresolved.
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