Wike, APC governors clash over Rainbow Coalition ahead of 2027 elections

Tensions have emerged between Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and governors of the All Progressives Congress over his proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The disagreement centres on Wike’s plan to mobilise support across political parties for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while continuing to support Peoples Democratic Party candidates in some other electoral contests.

APC governors have rejected political arrangements they say could weaken their party or undermine its candidates.

Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma said the governors would support APC candidates at all levels in the 2027 elections.

According to Uzodimma, the governors would not support or endorse any alliance capable of weakening the APC, undermining Tinubu’s re-election campaign or adversely affecting the party’s candidates.

Wike, however, defended his Rainbow Coalition.

Through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the FCT minister maintained that his support for Tinubu does not mean the PDP would stop fielding candidates in governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections.

Wike said the Rainbow Coalition was not an APC platform but an arrangement aimed at mobilising support across political parties for Tinubu’s re-election.

He also argued that political circumstances differ from state to state and that governors facing local political challenges should address them rather than use the President’s re-election campaign as justification.

Wike later criticised some APC governors during an interview on Arise TV, accusing them of being “politically lazy.”

The dispute highlights the complicated political relationship between Wike, who remains associated with the PDP while serving as a minister in the APC-led Federal Government, and some leading figures in the ruling party.

Some unnamed APC figures quoted by Punch attributed parts of the disagreement to competing political interests and positioning ahead of future elections.

The PDP camps have also weighed in on the dispute, offering sharply different interpretations of Wike’s political role.

As preparations for the 2027 elections intensify, the disagreement is expected to remain part of the wider debate over alliances, party loyalty and political strategy.