APC Chairmen Reject Wike’s Coalition, Demand Defection

 

Several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress have rejected the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, urging him to formally join the ruling party if he is committed to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The development followed renewed disagreements between Wike and APC governors over the political structure being assembled by the former Rivers State governor ahead of the 2027 general elections.

APC leaders in several states argued that Wike could not simultaneously support Tinubu at the presidential level while working with politicians from other parties who may contest against APC candidates in governorship and legislative elections. The position has been echoed by party officials in states including Imo, Gombe, Ondo, Kwara and Anambra.

In Imo State, APC chairman Austin Onyedebelu said Wike should formally defect to the party if his support for Tinubu’s second-term bid was genuine. Other party leaders have similarly maintained that the interests of the APC and its candidates must be protected across all levels of the 2027 elections.

The disagreement centres on Wike’s insistence that his coalition is separate from the APC. He has said the Rainbow Coalition is a multi-party platform created to mobilise support for Tinubu’s presidential re-election, while allowing participating parties to field candidates for governorship and legislative contests.

The Progressive Governors’ Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, has meanwhile opposed any political arrangement capable of weakening the APC or undermining its candidates. The dispute has therefore raised questions about how the competing political structures will operate as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.

Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party while serving in the APC-led Federal Government, has maintained that his support is specifically for Tinubu’s re-election and does not amount to an agreement that other parties should abandon their candidates. The unfolding disagreement is expected to remain a major issue in the political realignments ahead of 2027.