The All Progressives Congress (APC) Grassroots Organisation has urged President Bola Tinubu and leaders of the ruling party to be cautious about the political activities of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group said Wike’s Rainbow Coalition should not be allowed to operate in a manner that could weaken the APC or create a parallel structure within the ruling party.
It also rejected the argument that Wike’s political influence and his previous G-5 alliance were responsible for President Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.
The position was contained in a statement issued by the chairman of the APC Grassroots Organisation, Mukhtar Tanimu Rabiu, amid the growing disagreement between Wike and governors elected on the APC platform.
The controversy surrounding the Rainbow Coalition has intensified in recent days after the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, announced that APC governors would not support any political arrangement capable of weakening the party or affecting its candidates in the 2027 elections.
The governors’ position came after Wike continued to defend his coalition as a platform created to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election across political parties.
Wike has repeatedly maintained that the coalition is not an APC structure and is not intended to replace the party’s organisation.
In a statement issued through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, the minister said, “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. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” he said.
However, the APC Grassroots Organisation argued that supporting Tinubu should not be separated from protecting the party structures through which APC candidates will contest the 2027 elections.
Rabiu warned that allowing a separate political structure to mobilise for the president while supporting candidates outside the APC could create conflicting interests at the state and constituency levels.
“An individual or support group must not be allowed to function as a parallel party structure simply because they support the President.
“Wike’s admission that the coalition is not an APC structure signals a potential conflict of interest, particularly if it creates competing political interests in states where APC governors are expected to campaign for both Tinubu and other APC candidates.
“Support President Tinubu. But do not expect APC governors to surrender their governors, senators, House members, Assembly candidates or party structures to Wike’s faction of the PDP.”
The group further questioned the decision to promote the Rainbow Coalition when the APC already has elected officials and established party structures across the country.
According to the organisation, the existing structures of the ruling party should remain central to the 2027 presidential campaign.
It also accused Wike of attempting to influence APC politics while remaining a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The group said the minister’s current activities reminded it of the political crisis that affected the PDP before the 2023 election.
Mr Rabiu said Mr Wike has “polarised the PDP governors, bought over the party leadership and attacked major PDP organs, leading to the destruction of the party. Just as he did with the PDP in the past, using lackeys from Kano and Edo states, the same script is being played all over again; this time in the APC.”
Uzodimma, speaking on behalf of the Progressive Governors Forum, said the governors would not support arrangements that could undermine the APC or its candidates.
“The forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support, or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of Mr President, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels,” he said.
Wike has since responded to the governors.
The former Rivers State governor said he never approached the APC governors to enter into an alliance with his Rainbow Coalition.
He argued that his political project is specifically targeted at securing support for Tinubu’s second-term bid and does not prevent other political parties from fielding candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
“There is no day I went to the Governors’ Forum to align with any rainbow coalition, there is no such day. I was already talking about an alliance with a party. I have never, one day, gone to the APC Forum for an alliance,” Wike said.
He also accused the APC governors of misunderstanding his political strategy.
Wike described the governors who rejected the coalition as “politically lazy”, while insisting that he remains focused on mobilising support for Tinubu.
“When I see the people who held that press conference, they are smart. But they are politically lazy, and that is unfortunate. All they said is neither here nor there,” he said.
The APC Grassroots Organisation also rejected the suggestion that Wike’s former G-5 alliance was an indispensable political force behind Tinubu’s emergence as president in 2023.
Rabiu argued that the electoral records of some members of the former group did not support such a conclusion.
“It is instructive to note that the only one among the now defunct G-5 that won elections democratically in the 2023 race was the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who broke ranks with Wike.
“In fact, Ikpeazu, Ortom and Ugwuanyi were reputed to have lost their polling units, wards and local governments. Even Wike allegedly lost his local government and Rivers State before the presentation of the controversial and highly disputed Rivers State presidential election result.
“Where then, is his self-acclaimed street credibility besides dishing out insults and making outrageous and wild claims,” he queried.
The G-5 emerged from the crisis that followed the PDP presidential primary in 2022.
Wike had contested the PDP presidential ticket but lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The disagreement became more serious after Atiku picked former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.
Wike and four other PDP governors subsequently formed the G-5 and demanded the removal of then PDP National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu.
The governors argued that the party should not have both its presidential candidate and national chairman from the northern part of the country.
The dispute continued into the 2023 election campaign, with the G-5 governors refusing to support Atiku’s presidential campaign.
The group included Wike, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
Wike has since defended the decision and argued that the G-5 demonstrated that politicians could support a presidential candidate from outside their own party without formally joining that party.
He has used the same argument to defend the Rainbow Coalition.