Wike, APC Governors Clash Over 2027 Political Structures
The emerging Rainbow Coalition has exposed a growing disagreement between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress over control of political structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
While both sides support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election, they differ over how political alliances should operate during governorship and legislative contests.
Wike has maintained that politicians can support Tinubu for president while backing candidates from other parties for governorship and legislative positions.
Through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, Wike described the Rainbow Coalition as a multi-party platform created to mobilise support for Tinubu and stressed that it was not an APC structure.
“The coalition is a platform for other political parties that are pleased with the good works of Tinubu and are supporting his re-election. It has nothing to do with APC,” Wike said.
The position has, however, raised concerns among APC governors, whose political structures are also preparing for governorship and legislative elections in their respective states.
The Progressive Governors’ Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, said after a closed-door meeting in Abuja that APC governors would not participate in, support or endorse any political arrangement capable of weakening the party, undermining its candidates or affecting its electoral interests.
The disagreement reflects the different interests of the two political structures. While Wike’s coalition is primarily focused on the presidential election, APC governors must also protect their party’s candidates and political structures in state and legislative contests.
APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, has sought to ease concerns over the arrangement, saying politicians could support Tinubu at the presidential level while pursuing their interests in other elections.
Read also: APC, ADC Clash Over Petrol Subsidy Ahead of 2027
“Support Mr President for his re-election, but in the governorship and legislative elections, go your own way. It is a win-win situation for us,” he said through his media aide, Abimbola Tooki.
Alhaji Liadi Tella, a journalist and APC stakeholder in Osun State, also urged the governors to concentrate on securing their respective states rather than focusing excessively on the Rainbow Coalition.
“Let everybody concentrate on their state and win their state. That is the goal of this election,” Tella said.
He also questioned whether the coalition currently had a significant grassroots presence across the country, arguing that its political importance should be assessed based on its actual organisation in the states.
The dispute has revived comparisons with the 2003 political experience involving the Alliance for Democracy governors in the South-West and former President Olusegun Obasanjo. However, an APC member familiar with that period said the current situation was different because Wike had not announced an alliance between the PDP and APC.
The source noted that Wike remained a member of the Peoples Democratic Party while supporting Tinubu’s re-election and allowing other parties involved in the coalition to maintain their candidates for other positions.
The political implications extend beyond the Rainbow Coalition itself, as former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu has disclosed that the African Democratic Congress is holding discussions with several political groups as well as serving and former governors across party lines.
Read also: Osun poll: APC weighs legal challenge after Adeleke’s victory
Nwosu said some serving APC governors were discussing with the ADC but did not identify them. The claim, however, has not been independently established as evidence of impending defections or a coordinated plan by APC governors to leave the ruling party.
Tella dismissed reports of APC governors negotiating with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the ADC, describing such reports as part of the political narratives surrounding the 2027 election.
Wike has also revisited the role of the G5 governors in the 2023 presidential election, saying the group encouraged support for Labour Party candidate Peter Obi in parts of the South-South to weaken Atiku’s chances.
He said the strategy was based on the assessment that Atiku posed a greater political threat to the G5, while maintaining that Rivers State had different political dynamics and rejecting claims that its presidential election results were manipulated in Obi’s favour.
His account has been challenged by Aisha Yesufu, a chieftain of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, who questioned Wike’s claimed political influence by referring to the 2023 senatorial elections involving three members of the G5.
Anthony Ehilebo, Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communications to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, also criticised the Rainbow Coalition, arguing that political alliances should address the economic difficulties facing Nigerians.
“If the rainbow coalition can proffer a solution to feeding the hungry Nigerians or put money into the pockets of Nigerians, that will be nice; otherwise, I don’t see any importance in the so-called coalition,” Ehilebo said.
As the 2027 election approaches, the disagreement places increasing attention on how the Rainbow Coalition develops, how widely it operates across states and how its activities interact with the APC’s existing political structures.
For now, Wike and the APC governors share support for Tinubu’s presidential bid but differ over the political arrangements surrounding the governorship and legislative contests.
