A number of aggrieved members and former leaders of the All Progressives Congress have reportedly joined or expressed support for the Rainbow Coalition associated with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections continue to grow.
The development has caused fresh tension within the APC, with some party members backing the coalition while others have criticised its activities.
The Progressive Governors Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, had earlier described the coalition as a threat to President Bola Tinubu’s bid for another term in office.
However, some APC figures who are unhappy with how the party handled its nomination processes have reportedly chosen to work with Wike and his political allies.
A national leader of the APC, who spoke anonymously to Sunday PUNCH, claimed that some party members were supporting Wike because they were dissatisfied with how the governors handled the party’s primaries.
The party leader also alleged that the Rainbow Coalition was serving as an alternative platform for APC members who were unhappy with the party and might otherwise have moved to the African Democratic Congress.
Another APC official said some members who felt disadvantaged during the primaries had decided to support Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election, even if they did not back APC candidates in their respective states.
The official said the main objective of these members was to support Tinubu’s re-election, while the responsibility for resolving local party disputes should be left to the candidates and state leaders involved.
According to the official, some aggrieved politicians had already aligned with Wike after disputes with their state governors and could continue to work with the minister because of his reported support for Tinubu.
Findings by Sunday PUNCH showed that politicians from several states have moved from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party while aligning with the political group associated with Wike.
Among the states mentioned were Kwara, Gombe, Cross River, Osun, Katsina, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ogun, Jigawa and Ondo.
In Kwara State, Dr Tajudeen Olesin and other members of The Otoge Progressives were reported to have declared support for Wike’s coalition after expressing dissatisfaction with the APC structure in the state.
Olesin said he moved away from the APC after what he described as poor treatment within the party. He also described the disagreement between Wike and some APC governors as a political struggle over opposition and control in the states.
He said the coalition could provide an alternative platform for politicians who wanted to support Tinubu while operating outside the APC.
Senator Saliu Mustapha, who represents Kwara Central, was also reported to have left the APC for the PDP and backed the coalition. Two members of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Saba Gideon and Olushola Odetundun, were also listed among those who moved to the PDP.
In Osun State, Senator Olubuyi Fadeyi, who represents Osun Central, reportedly left the APC after failing to secure his return ticket and later obtained the PDP ticket with support from Wike’s camp.
Two members of the House of Representatives from Katsina State, Shehu Tafoki and Shehu Dalhatu, were also reported to have defected from the APC to the PDP.
In Ondo State, former APC chieftain Idowu Mafimisebi, who lost the party’s ticket for the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency, was reported to have joined the PDP alongside Matthew Oyerinmade, who had sought the party’s ticket for Ondo South Senatorial District.
Ogun State also recorded the defection of former House of Assembly aspirant Mustapha Owolabi from the APC to the PDP.
Other politicians reported to have moved from the APC to the PDP included former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami and former Gombe South senator Anthony Yaro.
Olesin also attributed the opposition from some APC governors to Wike to personal political ambitions. He specifically mentioned Uzodinma and Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
He alleged that Uzodinma was interested in becoming Senate President in 2027 and claimed that Wike preferred the return of the current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
However, the Special Adviser on Party Affairs to the Kwara State governor, Mashood Alaka, rejected Olesin’s explanation and offered a different view of Wike’s political activities.
Alaka alleged that Wike was using the Rainbow Coalition to build relationships with politicians across party lines as part of a possible plan to position himself for the 2031 presidential election.
He questioned Wike’s decision to remain a member of the PDP while supporting Tinubu for president and working with politicians in the APC-led government.
Alaka also argued that if Wike genuinely wanted to work within the APC political structure, he should either formally join the party or remain in the PDP and operate fully as a member of the opposition.
He further said Wike’s support for Tinubu should be considered alongside his reported backing for candidates seeking National Assembly seats on opposition party platforms.
The Kwara governor’s aide dismissed concerns that the Rainbow Coalition could weaken the APC’s structure in the state, saying the state government had enough political structures to support its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Meanwhile, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, rejected the claim that the minister was using the coalition to prepare for a 2031 presidential bid.
Olayinka said Alaka’s argument was based on a different understanding of the rotation of political power between the northern and southern parts of Nigeria.
He explained that if Tinubu completes two terms in office, the South would have held the presidency for eight years by 2031, which, according to him, would make a further southern presidency difficult under the power rotation arrangement he referred to.
Olayinka also said Wike’s support for Tinubu in 2023 was linked to the emergence of a southern president and that his backing for the President’s 2027 re-election was aimed at maintaining that arrangement for eight years before power could return to the North.
He dismissed concerns that Wike’s continued membership of the PDP could affect the President’s ability to work with the National Assembly, saying the composition of the legislature and the emergence of its leaders would depend on the results of the 2027 elections.
According to him, the party that secures the required majority in the Senate would have the numbers needed to influence the choice of the Senate President.
He also said discussions about the next Senate President were premature because the decision would ultimately depend on the senators elected in 2027 and the political arrangements that follow the election.
Sunday PUNCH also reported that attempts to obtain comments from Uzodinma’s Chief Press Secretary, Oguike Nwachukwu, and the Imo State Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to them were not answered.