The political disagreement between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and APC governors has taken a fresh turn, with Wike challenging their objections to his proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike said the coalition is focused on mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and does not require politicians to abandon their preferred candidates in governorship and legislative contests.
The minister made the clarification while appearing on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday.
He argued that politicians could support Tinubu for president while backing candidates from other parties in elections for governor, the National Assembly and state assemblies.
Wike referred to the 2023 elections, when members of the G5 governors supported Tinubu’s presidential bid while their parties retained candidates for other elective positions.
He said a similar arrangement could operate in 2027, insisting that Nigerian voters were capable of making different choices on the same ballot.
The FCT minister also challenged the position taken by APC governors, who recently said they would not support any alliance that could weaken the party or affect its candidates.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressive Governors Forum, said the governors’ campaign structure would remain focused on APC candidates at all levels.
Wike, however, alleged that the governors’ concerns were connected to their political calculations over the next National Assembly leadership.
He specifically accused Uzodimma of having an ambition to become Senate President after leaving office. Uzodimma has not, in the material reviewed here, publicly confirmed that ambition.
Wike said he would not support Uzodimma for the position, while arguing that the governors were interested in influencing which lawmakers emerged from the 2027 elections.
The minister further suggested that politicians who fail to secure APC tickets could contest under other platforms, potentially winning seats and making independent choices over the leadership of the National Assembly.
Wike also dismissed reports that Tinubu had agreed to concede nine states to the PDP or the Rainbow Coalition.
He challenged those making the claim to identify the states allegedly covered by such an arrangement.
According to Wike, his central political objective is to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election through the coalition. He said he would campaign on the administration’s record and policies.
He also disclosed that Tinubu was aware of the coalition, saying the President understood his political activities and position.
The dispute has continued since the APC Governors Forum publicly rejected the Rainbow Coalition and said it would not participate in or endorse political arrangements that could undermine the APC or its candidates.
The disagreement has also drawn reactions from other sections of the APC, with the party’s South-East leadership backing the governors and criticising Wike’s comments.
For now, Wike maintains that the Rainbow Coalition can mobilise across party lines for Tinubu while allowing individual politicians to support candidates of their choice in other elections. The APC governors, meanwhile, have maintained their commitment to the party’s candidates at all levels.
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