Multiple All Progressives Congress (APC) state chapters have rejected the Rainbow Coalition assembled by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, with party officials across the country calling on the former Rivers State governor to abandon the cross-party structure and formally defect to the APC if he truly supports President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027.
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was appointed FCT minister by Tinubu in 2023 despite having run for the presidency under the opposition party. His Rainbow Coalition is designed to mobilise support for Tinubu at the presidential level while allowing member parties to contest governorship and legislative positions independently.
APC Governors Demand Clear Choice
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal triggered the latest round of criticism during an interview on Channels Television's Inside Sources, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
"Our message is very, very clear: Be on one side. You can't be on two sides," Lawal said, adding that he intended to raise Wike's political position directly with Tinubu. "It's either he's in APC or he's out. It's simple."
According to The Punch in a report published on Monday, September 28, Anambra APC chairman Senator Emmanuel Anosike described the coalition as an insult to the party and its governors.
"The minister is not a member of the party, hence should stop meddling in the internal affairs of the party," he said, noting that APC governors had sufficient structures to deliver Tinubu without outside help.
State Chapters Weigh In
In Kwara, APC chairman Sunday Fagbemi dismissed the arrangement as "a grand deception and a confusing strategy", pointing out that presidential, senatorial, and House of Representatives elections are held on the same day.
"Will you stand by the ballot box and tell a voter to vote for one party for President and another party for Senate?" he asked.
The Ondo APC secretary, Alex Kalejaiye, said support for the ruling party had to be total, covering all its candidates from the presidency down to the state assembly. He urged Wike to collapse the coalition into the APC instead.
Mixed Reactions from Other Chapters
Not all APC chapters were hostile. In Jigawa, party spokesman Bashir Kundu said the chapter welcomed Wike's support for Tinubu and would gladly receive him should he choose to join. In Benue, one APC faction organising secretary, James Orgunga, praised Wike's contribution while still calling on him to formalise his membership, while a rival faction spokesman, Daniel Ihomun, argued Wike should stay in the PDP because "he has helped to destroy PDP for us."
Chapters in Osun and Delta said the question was above their pay grade and deferred to the APC national leadership for a definitive position.
Wike, through his aide Lere Olayinka, has maintained that the coalition targets only the presidential race and does not stop other parties from contesting other seats, an arrangement he says mirrors his pre-2023 political conduct. PDP figures also insist he remains a full member of the opposition party.
Abia State PDP deputy governorship candidate Abraham Amah described him as "the national leader of the party."
Tinubu to Give Wike Fresh Appointment
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Tinubu is reportedly working to carve out a defined campaign role for Wike ahead of the 2027 elections.
Sources familiar with the developing structure said the former Rivers governor is being positioned to coordinate campaign efforts in the state and the FCT.
The arrangement is designed to leverage Wike’s political network. It would also keep him outside the formal APC structure, given that he remains a card-carrying member of the PDP.
