APC Governors Reject Wike’s ‘Rainbow Coalition’ Ahead Of 2027

APC Governors Reject Wike’s ‘Rainbow Coalition’ Ahead of 2027

The Progressive Governors’ Forum has rejected the political arrangement being promoted by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, under the banner of the “Rainbow Coalition,” saying the governors would not support any alliance capable of weakening the All Progressives Congress APC or undermining President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

The position was announced by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, after a closed-door meeting of APC governors in Abuja. Uzodimma said the governors’ commitment remained centred on APC candidates at all levels and that they would not participate in arrangements that could create divided loyalties or competing political structures within the party. Wike, however, has maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is not an APC structure and was established to mobilise support for Tinubu across different political parties. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the FCT minister said his support for Tinubu’s re-election was separate from his political activities within the Peoples Democratic Party PDP. Wike said the coalition was intended to bring together politicians from different parties who support Tinubu, while allowing those parties to continue fielding candidates in governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections. He also argued that supporting Tinubu for president did not require politicians to abandon their respective parties or support APC candidates in every other contest. The governors’ opposition centres on the possibility that politicians could support Tinubu at the presidential level while backing candidates from opposition parties in state and legislative elections. The APC governors have indicated that their campaign commitment extends to APC candidates across the ballot, arguing that the party’s presidential campaign should operate alongside its state and legislative structures. The dispute has therefore raised questions about how a cross-party campaign for Tinubu could coexist with APC candidates competing against members and supporters of the Rainbow Coalition in other elections. Wike has insisted that his position should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the APC. He said his commitment was specifically to Tinubu’s re-election and that he had never promised that the PDP would withdraw candidates from other electoral contests. The minister also cited the 2023 elections, arguing that Nigerian voters had previously supported different parties at presidential and legislative levels and could do so again. According to Wike, the focus should first be on mobilising support for Tinubu at the presidential level before politicians turn their attention to state-level contests. The PDP has also defended Wike’s right to support Tinubu while remaining a member of the opposition party. PDP National Publicity Secretary Jungudo Mohammed said the minister’s support for Tinubu should not be interpreted as support for APC candidates in other elections. He argued that the PDP would continue to field candidates in the 2027 elections and maintained that Wike remained an influential political actor. Meanwhile, the PDP faction led by Tanimu Turaki criticised the APC over the dispute, arguing that the ruling party and its allies had created the political circumstances that allowed Wike to support the APC-led government while remaining within the PDP. The disagreement has added to existing political tensions involving Wike, Uzodimma and other political actors ahead of the 2027 general elections. said the dispute has raised broader questions about control of political structures, the relationship between Tinubu’s presidential campaign and the APC’s formal machinery, and the competing interests of politicians across different states. The APC national leadership has expressed concern that disagreements among Tinubu’s political allies should not damage the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections. For now, Wike continues to describe the Rainbow Coalition as a cross-party platform focused on supporting Tinubu, while the Progressive Governors’ Forum maintains that its members will campaign for APC candidates at all levels. The disagreement leaves the relationship between the coalition and the APC’s formal campaign structure as one of the emerging political issues ahead of the 2027 elections.