Wike Says He Will Reveal Why APC Governors Oppose Rainbow Coalition for Tinubu

By Shafii Haruna

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said he will reveal the reasons some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are opposed to the emerging Rainbow Coalition backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The National Lens reports that Wike, who has been at the centre of political realignments ahead of the election, said the opposition from some APC governors to the coalition was driven by interests that he would make public at the appropriate time.

The minister maintained that the political coalition being assembled in support of Tinubu was not an APC affair, stressing that individuals from different political parties were free to work together towards the President’s re-election.

His position comes amid growing disagreement between him and some APC governors over the structure and direction of political mobilisation for the 2027 elections.

Some APC governors have insisted that support for Tinubu should be accompanied by support for candidates contesting under the party’s platform at the governorship, National Assembly and state assembly levels.

Wike, however, has maintained that supporting Tinubu for president does not automatically mean supporting every APC candidate in other electoral contests.

He argued that the 2023 general elections had already demonstrated that Nigerian voters could support candidates from different political parties in the same election cycle.

The former Rivers State governor has also dismissed suggestions that he requires the approval of APC governors to pursue his political activities, insisting that his allegiance in the 2027 presidential contest is to Tinubu.

Wike’s position has become a source of political tension as politicians from different parties continue to explore new alliances ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Rainbow Coalition is being presented by its promoters as a broad political platform capable of bringing together politicians and supporters from outside the APC in support of Tinubu’s presidential bid.

However, the position of some APC governors suggests concern that such an arrangement could undermine the party’s candidates in other elections, particularly in states where members of the coalition may have interests different from those of the APC.

Wike has continued to defend the idea of a broad-based political alliance, arguing that presidential support can cut across party boundaries.

He has also indicated that he will eventually disclose the reasons behind the opposition from some APC governors, suggesting that there are political considerations surrounding their position that have not yet been made public.

As the 2027 elections draw closer, the disagreement is likely to remain a major feature of the political realignments taking place across the country, particularly as politicians weigh loyalty to political parties against emerging alliances around the presidential contest.