The political disagreement surrounding the Rainbow Coalition has spread to several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress, with party officials questioning Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike’s continued membership of the PDP while supporting President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential bid.
The latest confrontation followed comments by Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, who said Wike must clearly define his political allegiance.
Lawal spoke during an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources in New York while attending activities around the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
According to the Zamfara governor, APC governors have not changed their position on the coalition.
He said Wike should either join the APC and openly support its candidates or remain outside the party rather than backing Tinubu for president while supporting candidates from other political parties.
Lawal also said he planned to raise Wike’s political activities with President Tinubu after the President’s return from France.
Wike remains in PDP
Wike was appointed FCT minister by Tinubu after the 2023 presidential election despite his continued membership of the PDP.
The former Rivers State governor has nevertheless become one of the prominent political figures publicly supporting Tinubu’s return to office in 2027.
The Rainbow Coalition has been associated with efforts to mobilise support for Tinubu across party lines.
Wike has argued that such support can coexist with a multiparty electoral system in which political parties field their own candidates for governorship and legislative positions.
That position has been challenged by APC governors, who have said political structures supporting Tinubu should not undermine APC candidates contesting other offices.
State chapters reject coalition
The disagreement has now attracted responses from APC chapters in different parts of the country.
In Imo State, party spokesman Jones Onwuasoanya said Wike should join the APC if he wants to demonstrate full political commitment to the ruling party.
He also said the Imo APC did not recognise the Rainbow Coalition as a political structure in the state.
In the South-East, APC zonal and state leaders had earlier expressed support for the Progressive Governors Forum’s position opposing political arrangements they believe could affect the party’s candidates.
The issue has consequently moved beyond the disagreement between Wike and individual governors, becoming a broader discussion within the APC about the relationship between presidential support and party structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
For now, Wike remains a PDP member and has continued to defend his approach to supporting Tinubu, while APC governors and several state chapters continue to demand a clearer alignment with the ruling party.
