APC Chairmen Reject Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, Demand Defection

Several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress have rejected the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike ahead of the 2027 general election, with some party leaders calling on him to formally join the APC if he wants to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

The development followed renewed disagreement between Wike and APC governors over the political structure being built by the former Rivers State governor and how support for Tinubu should be organised ahead of the 2027 elections. Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party while serving in the APC-led Federal Government.

Some APC chapters said they welcomed Wike’s support for Tinubu and would accept him if he decided to defect to the ruling party. Others, however, rejected the Rainbow Coalition, arguing that supporting the APC presidential candidate while backing candidates from other parties in governorship and legislative contests could create problems for the party.

The disagreement has opened a wider debate within Tinubu’s political camp over who should control the structures being used to mobilise support for the President’s 2027 bid.

The latest clash followed comments by Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, who urged Wike to make his political position clear by either joining the APC or remaining with the Rainbow Coalition.

Lawal also indicated that he would raise the matter with President Tinubu, saying the APC governors wanted a clear understanding of where Wike stood politically.

The position has since received different reactions from APC chapters across the country.

In Imo State, APC Publicity Secretary Jones Onwuasoanya called on Wike to formally join the ruling party if his support for Tinubu was genuine. He argued that Wike should identify fully with the APC rather than supporting the President at one level while working with other political platforms at other levels.

The Imo APC also said it did not recognise the Rainbow Coalition as a political structure in the state and maintained that the APC remained its main political platform.

In Gombe, APC Publicity Secretary Murtala Usman also backed calls for Wike to join the ruling party. He expressed concern that the coalition could create confusion among APC stakeholders, particularly in states where the party was already dealing with changes caused by recent defections from the PDP.

Usman said Wike should therefore make a complete move to the APC instead of maintaining what he described as divided political loyalty.

The Ondo State APC similarly rejected an arrangement in which Tinubu would receive support at the presidential level while candidates from other parties were backed in other elections.

The state party secretary, Alex Kalejaiye, said the APC intended to mobilise votes for its candidates across the different positions on the ballot. He argued that supporting candidates from different parties could make voting more complicated for the electorate.

The Ondo chapter consequently called on Wike to bring his coalition into the APC so that both sides could operate under one political structure during the 2027 elections.

In Jigawa State, however, the APC adopted a more welcoming position towards Wike. The state Publicity Secretary, Bashir Kundu, said the party appreciated Wike’s support for Tinubu and would welcome him if he chose to join the APC.

Kundu also pointed out that the APC itself was formed through a merger of political groups and said he did not believe Wike would harm the party’s interests because the APC already had its own structures and programme.

In Benue State, reactions differed among APC factions. James Orgunga, an organising secretary of one faction, praised Wike’s support for Tinubu but said he would prefer the FCT minister to formally join the APC rather than operate through a separate coalition.

Daniel Ihomun, the publicity secretary of another faction loyal to Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, took a different position. He said Wike should remain in the PDP, while claiming that the minister’s political activities had weakened the opposition party.

Ihomun also claimed that a Rainbow Coalition structure known as the Benue Strategic Alliance for Tinubu existed in the state and involved members of the APC, PDP and Labour Party.

In Rivers State, where Wike served as governor, the controversy has attracted further attention because of his continued political influence in the state.

The factional APC led by Emeka Beke backed the position of the Progressive Governors Forum against the coalition. Its publicity secretary, Darlington Nwauju, argued that voters could face confusion if they were encouraged to support candidates from different political parties during the same election.

Nwauju supported the call for Wike to either join the APC or stay away from the party’s internal political affairs. He also expressed concern that Wike’s activities could strengthen the PDP even while he was supporting Tinubu at the presidential level.

In Anambra State, APC chairman Senator Emmanuel Anosike also rejected Wike’s coalition and questioned his involvement in APC affairs while remaining a PDP member.

Anosike said the APC governors already had political structures for mobilising support for Tinubu and argued that Wike should not attempt to operate a separate structure within the ruling party’s political space.

The Kwara State APC chairman, Sunday Fagbemi, also questioned how the Rainbow Coalition would work in practice, particularly because presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections are conducted on the same day.

He argued that asking voters to support Tinubu for President while choosing candidates from other parties for legislative positions could create uncertainty at the polling unit.

Fagbemi maintained that APC members should support the party’s candidates across the ballot rather than divide their votes among different political parties.

In Plateau State, APC chairman Rufus Bature said the party did not recognise any Rainbow Coalition structure in the state.

Bature said Wike would be free to join the APC if he chose to do so but rejected the idea of someone maintaining membership of the PDP while operating in support of the APC.

He also suggested that the coalition could be part of Wike’s longer-term political plans, although he said the APC would continue to monitor the development.

The Nasarawa State APC also rejected the coalition and urged Wike to join the ruling party.

The state Publicity Secretary, Augustine Ogaba, acknowledged Wike’s support for Tinubu but said the party would prefer him to become a recognised APC member rather than operate through a separate political structure.

Not all APC chapters have taken a position on whether Wike should join the party.

In Osun State, APC spokesman Kola Olabisi said the question of Wike’s possible defection was a matter for the national leadership of the party rather than the state chapter.

Delta State APC chairman Solomon Arenyeka also said the chapter was waiting for a formal position from the national leadership before commenting further on the issue.

In Bayelsa State, APC chieftain Doubara Joseph called on Wike to join the ruling party if he was fully committed to Tinubu’s re-election. However, the state APC chairman, Warman Ogoriba, declined to comment on the matter.

Sokoto APC chairman Haruna Adiya said his state chapter had no member in the Rainbow Coalition and declined to take a wider position on whether the party supported or opposed the alliance.

Wike, meanwhile, has rejected the argument that his Rainbow Coalition is an APC structure or that it is intended to weaken the ruling party. His position, as previously reported, is that the coalition is focused on mobilising support for Tinubu’s presidential re-election while allowing political parties to contest governorship and legislative elections independently.

The FCT minister has also argued that his approach is similar to the arrangement before the 2023 presidential election, when members of the G5, including himself, supported Tinubu without leaving the PDP.

Wike has maintained that political actors should have room to make local alliances and that support for a presidential candidate should not automatically require support for the same party’s candidates at every other level.

His position remains at odds with APC governors and several state party chapters, who have argued that support for Tinubu should also strengthen APC candidates contesting governorship and legislative positions. The APC Governors Forum had earlier said it was not part of Wike’s Rainbow Coalition and remained committed to the party’s own political structure.

Minister of Works David Umahi, a former Ebonyi State governor who moved from the PDP to the APC, also said there was no Rainbow Coalition structure in Ebonyi State.

Umahi warned political actors against inflammatory campaign activities and said anyone seeking support in the state would have to operate within the existing political environment.

In Sokoto, Niger and Bauchi states, APC officials similarly expressed caution over the coalition. The Sokoto chapter said it had no member in the group, while the Niger APC said it had no formal relationship with Wike but acknowledged his support for the ruling party.

The Bauchi APC also rejected the idea of divided loyalty, saying people who identify with the party should support its candidates.

Despite the calls from several APC figures for Wike to defect, some PDP members continue to maintain that he remains a member and leader of the opposition party.

In Abia State, PDP deputy governorship candidate Abraham Amah described the APC’s invitation to Wike as political courting and maintained that the FCT minister remained a PDP member.

The disagreement over Wike’s Rainbow Coalition is therefore expected to remain part of the political debate ahead of the 2027 general election, particularly as parties and political groups continue to build structures and alliances across the states.