Several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have rejected the “Rainbow Coalition” initiative backed by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, urging the former Rivers State governor to formally join the ruling party if he is committed to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 reelection bid.
The party leaders’ statements follow renewed friction between Wike and several APC governors over the political architecture the minister is building ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike remains a prominent member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—under whose platform he contested the presidential ticket in 2023—despite his appointment by President Tinubu to serve in the current APC-led federal cabinet.
While some APC state chapters applauded Wike’s backing of Tinubu and declared that they would welcome him if he chose to join the ruling party, others vehemently opposed the alliance, claiming that a politician could not support both the APC in presidential elections and candidates from other parties in legislative and gubernatorial contests.
The development has shown a growing division within the President’s political camp on the best way to organize support for his reelection in 2027 and, more crucially, who should be in charge of the political structures used to do it.
Dauda Lawal, the governor of Zamfara State and a member of the APC, set off the most recent conflict by telling Wike to decide between staying with the Rainbow Coalition and joining the APC.
Speaking in a recent interview, he said, “Our message is very, very clear: Be on one side. You can’t be on two sides. If you’re in APC, please come out and support APC. Not you’re supporting APC here, and you’re supporting other political parties somewhere else. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not done anywhere.”
Imo state APC rejects Wike rainbow colaition
Jones Onwuasoanya, the APC Publicity Secretary in Imo State, encouraged Wike to openly affiliate with the ruling party, claiming that he was trying to retain a vague political stance.
Speaking to the PUNCH, “Decency demands that an individual who claims so much allegiance to the philosophies and programmes of a political party should fully align with that political party, rather than playing hide and seek with his loyalty to the party.”
He added, “If Wike is sincere about his support for President Tinubu, then he should join the APC and begin to campaign for our party across all positions rather than being selective.”
He further dismissed the Rainbow Coalition as a political structure with little importance in the state.
“As long as the All Progressives Congress in Imo State is concerned, there is nothing like a Rainbow Coalition or whatever it might be called. The APC is the only viable political platform in Imo State and Imolites are fully aligned with us,” he said.
Gombe, Ondo reject selective support
Similarly, the Gombe state APC Publicity Secretary, Murtala Usman, urged the FCT minister to complete his political transition to the ruling party.
“My opinion is the same as the people who are advising him to join APC because APC doesn’t need any rainbow coalition for now,” Usman said.
He also cautioned that such an arrangement could result in confusion within the ruling party.
“That rainbow coalition will cause some confusion in the APC because those who are stakeholders in the APC, particularly in some states, will find it very difficult to handle,” he stated.
On it’s part, the Ondo State chapter of the party has rejected the idea of a coalition that would support President Bola Tinubu while backing candidates from other parties in other elections.
Alex Kalejaiye, the state party secretary, said the chapter did not accept the proposed arrangement.
“We are disturbed that the coalition would only support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the general elections, but field candidates for other positions,” he said.
“To us in Ondo State, support for the candidates of the ruling party must be total; our party is committed to mobilising votes for the President, three senatorial, nine representatives, and 26 House of Assembly candidates. That is not negotiable,” Kalejaiye stressed.
Concerns about dual loyalties
The political situation remains complex in Rivers State, where FCT Minister Nyesom Wike previously served as governor and continues to exert significant political influence.
The APC faction led by Emeka Beke has aligned with the Progressive Governors Forum in opposing Wike’s coalition. Darlington Nwauju, spokesperson for the faction, stated that Wike cannot maintain allegiance to the PDP while simultaneously collaborating with the APC.
Nwauju argued that encouraging voters to support candidates across different political parties at various levels creates confusion.
He supported the APC governors’ position that Wike should either formally join the ruling party or refrain from influencing its internal affairs, noting concerns within the party that his actions could inadvertently revive the PDP’s political prospects.
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Backstory…
The disagreement between Nyesom Wike and APC leaders over the said Rainbow Coalition has been building for months, rooted in the former Rivers governor’s decision to support President Bola Tinubu while remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
After the election, Tinubu appointed Wike Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, even though he did not defect from the PDP. Wike has since maintained that his support for Tinubu does not require him to leave the PDP.
That arrangement has now evolved into the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform that emerged first in Rivers State and has expanded beyond the state. By May 2026, Wike was openly describing the coalition as an alliance involving politicians from the PDP, APC, Labour Party and Action Alliance in Rivers, with the stated objective of supporting Tinubu for the presidency while the different parties could maintain their own candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
Read Also: Wike Announces Plan To Lead Tinubu Campaign In FCT, Rivers
