Several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress have rejected the political coalition being promoted by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, with some party leaders calling on him to formally join the APC if he wants to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 presidential bid.
The disagreement centres on Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform designed to mobilise support for Tinubu at the presidential level while allowing other political parties to field candidates for governorship and legislative positions.
Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party despite his appointment as a minister in the APC-led Federal Government...READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE .
The latest development followed renewed criticism from APC governors and party officials who argue that Wike cannot support Tinubu for president while simultaneously backing candidates outside the APC in other elections.
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal recently told Wike to choose between joining the APC and continuing with the coalition.
Lawal said APC governors wanted Wike to clearly define his political allegiance ahead of the 2027 elections and indicated that he would raise the matter with Tinubu.
Several APC state chapters have since echoed similar positions.
In Imo, the party dismissed the Rainbow Coalition and urged Wike to fully align with the APC if his support for Tinubu was genuine. Gombe APC officials also argued that the ruling party did not need a separate coalition and warned that the arrangement could create confusion among party stakeholders.
Ondo APC leaders similarly objected to a structure that supports Tinubu at the presidential level while potentially backing candidates from other parties in governorship and legislative contests.
However, the reaction has not been completely uniform across the APC.
Some state chapters, including Jigawa, said Wike would be welcomed if he decided to defect to the ruling party. In Benue, party officials expressed differing views, with some supporting his move into the APC while others preferred that he remain in the PDP.
Other state chapters have said the matter should be handled by the APC’s national leadership rather than decided at the state level.
Wike, meanwhile, has defended the Rainbow Coalition and maintained that it is not an APC structure. His position is that supporting Tinubu’s presidential ambition does not prevent other political parties from presenting their own candidates in other elections.
The controversy highlights an emerging disagreement within Tinubu’s political camp over how support for the President should be organised ahead of the 2027 general elections.
With several APC chapters now calling for Wike to formally join the party, attention is likely to remain on whether the FCT minister will maintain his current cross-party arrangement or make a formal move into the ruling party.
