The Rainbow Coalition, a multi-party alliance formed by Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's 2027 re-election bid, is facing mounting opposition from Labour Party (LP) figures and South-East All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, according to a Daily Trust report published on Friday, September 18, 2026.
Labour Party Figures Distance Themselves from Coalition
Senior Labour Party figures in Rivers State have accused the coalition of engaging with labour union members rather than the party itself. Favour Reuben, former South-South Zonal Vice Chairman of the LP, said he has no connection to the coalition and alleged that the LP governorship candidate recognised by the alliance is actually a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member.
Political analyst and Ogoni rights activist Celestine Akpobari described the arrangement as non-inclusive and ethnically skewed. "I have never seen a rainbow with one colour. APC chairman is Ikwerre, PDP chairman is Ikwerre, governorship candidates of APC, PDP and Labour are all Ikwerre. Where is the rainbow?" he asked.
Akpobari argued that if power shifts away from Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who comes from Rivers South-East, it should go to the Ogoni people, who have never produced a governor, deputy governor, Speaker, or Chief Judge in the state. "A rainbow coalition cannot have one colour," he added, calling the situation a form of dictatorship.
Supporters Defend Coalition's Reach
Despite the criticism, a Rivers APC chieftain who spoke anonymously defended the coalition's reach, saying all local government chairmen and ward councillors are part of the alliance and that Governor Fubara himself has returned to it.
Former Ijaw Youth Council president and 2023 LP governorship candidate in Bayelsa, Udengs Eradiri, also backed the coalition, saying it spans political interests and strengthens Tinubu's re-election prospects. "Wike and his Rainbow Coalition should be seen as an added advantage to Tinubu's re-election because it was formed solely to work for Mr President and not to advance the interest of any governor," Eradiri said.
South-East APC Leadership Rejects Coalition
Resistance to the coalition is not limited to Rivers State. APC leadership across the South-East, in a joint statement signed by Ijeomah Arodiogbu, the party's National Vice Chairman for the zone, alongside state chairmen from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo, expressed full support for the Progressive Governors' Forum's resolution to back only APC candidates in 2027.
The statement strongly rejected what the leaders called a "rainbow (chameleon) coalition," warning the party structure in the South-East would resist any outside effort to weaken its base. The executives also defended the region's governors, noting they had delivered visible development in their states and helped secure more than 25 per cent of the presidential vote in 2023.
Wike's Broader Political Mission
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Wike said his mission ahead of the 2027 elections is to ensure that opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi, remain politically unsettled and under pressure. The FCT minister insisted there is currently no credible, organised opposition in Nigeria, saying internal divisions within the PDP had left the political landscape without a clear frontrunner to challenge President Tinubu.
