The Rainbow Coalition has triggered a fresh clash between Nyesom Wike and APC governors after the FCT minister backed Tinubu for 2027 while insisting the coalition will support him, not other APC candidates.
ABUJA, NIGERIA — FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress have clashed over the Rainbow Coalition, exposing competing approaches to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign and other electoral contests.
According to the APC Governors Forum, its members will not support any alliance capable of weakening the party or hurting its candidates in the 2027 elections. Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the forum, announced the position after the governors met in Abuja on Monday.
The governors said they would not participate in, support or endorse political arrangements that could undermine Tinubu’s re-election, weaken the APC or affect any APC candidate at any level. Uzodimma said the forum’s campaign commitment would remain with candidates officially sponsored by the ruling party.
Newstridez reviewed statements from Wike, the APC Governors Forum and reports of their exchange, and found that the disagreement centres on a key distinction: Wike says his coalition exists to mobilise support for Tinubu across political parties, while APC governors want their members to support APC candidates throughout the 2027 elections.
The Rainbow Coalition emerged from Rivers State and has been promoted by Wike as a multi-party platform backing Tinubu’s re-election. Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party while serving as minister in the APC-led Federal Government, creating a political arrangement that has drawn attention ahead of 2027.
"Their concern is about them to win election, not about the President winning the election. How did it get now, all of a sudden that the Rainbow coalition is causing a problem?"
— BATified Soldier.🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️ (@Dareybabslink) September 16, 2026
~ FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. pic.twitter.com/fA6YPXOxrq
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike said the coalition had nothing to do with the APC. He said it represents politicians from different parties who support Tinubu and want to mobilise votes for him in the presidential election.
“The coalition is a platform for other political parties that are pleased with the good works of Tinubu and are supporting his re-election.”
Wike also rejected the suggestion that the coalition was created to help politicians defeat APC candidates in state and legislative elections. He said his commitment was specifically to Tinubu’s presidential bid and that the PDP remained free to field candidates in other contests.
The minister said political supporters should concentrate first on the presidential election before turning their attention to contests for governor, Senate, House of Representatives and state assemblies. He argued that Nigerian voters had previously demonstrated that they could vote for different parties in elections held on the same day.
Data reviewed by Newstridez shows that Wike used the 2023 elections in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi to make that argument. He pointed to instances where APC candidates won legislative seats despite President Tinubu receiving a much smaller share of the presidential vote in those states.
The example is central to Wike’s defence of the coalition. His argument is that supporting Tinubu does not require voters to support APC candidates in every other election. The APC governors, however, have now publicly stated that their campaign commitment will cover the party’s candidates at all levels.
Uzodimma said the governors had unanimously resolved not to participate in any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election or weakening the APC. He also said they would not endorse candidates who are not sponsored by the party.
The position places Wike’s political strategy in direct tension with the official position of the governors. While both sides say they support Tinubu’s return to office, they differ over whether support for the President should also translate into support for APC candidates contesting other positions.
The dispute has become more pronounced because some APC governors have expressed concern about the Rainbow Coalition’s activities. Reports said the governors were particularly concerned that the coalition could provide political cover for politicians who failed to secure APC nominations but later contested under opposition parties.
Wike has accused Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of promoting claims against the coalition. He argued that the governors were using Tinubu’s re-election to raise concerns about a political movement that he said had no formal relationship with the APC.
In response, the APC Governors Forum drew a clear line between the party and other political arrangements. The governors said their responsibility was to strengthen the APC and ensure that its candidates receive political support throughout the 2027 electoral cycle.
The disagreement has particular significance for the PDP. Wike remains a prominent member of the party even though he serves in Tinubu’s cabinet and supports the President’s re-election. His decision to back Tinubu while retaining his PDP membership has already contributed to tensions within the opposition party.
The PDP has now backed Wike’s Rainbow Coalition as a vehicle for Tinubu’s re-election, while criticising APC governors over their opposition to the arrangement. The party accused the governors of fearing electoral competition and alleged that some had performed poorly in office. Those claims came from the PDP and have not been independently established.
For the APC, the issue goes beyond Wike personally. The party is preparing for a nationwide campaign in which governors will play a major role in mobilising voters and supporting candidates. Any parallel structure operating outside the party could create competing political interests during the campaign.
For Wike, however, the coalition offers a different model. He is seeking support for Tinubu across party lines while allowing opposition parties to contest other positions. His position means a voter could support Tinubu for president and choose a PDP or another opposition candidate for governor or the National Assembly.
The 2027 election will therefore involve separate contests for different offices, with voters able to make independent choices. The disagreement between Wike and the APC governors is partly about how political alliances should operate within that system.
Newstridez also found that Wike has rejected claims that he promised the PDP would not field candidates against APC candidates in 2027. He said he never made such a commitment and maintained that his own political support for Tinubu should not be interpreted as an agreement between the PDP and APC.
The dispute could also have implications in Rivers State, where Wike served as governor before moving to the Federal Capital Territory. The state remains an important part of his political base, and the Rainbow Coalition has been associated with efforts to bring politicians from different parties together.
At the same time, the APC governors are seeking to maintain party discipline. Their declaration that they will support only APC candidates provides a formal position that could guide campaign structures across states controlled by the ruling party.
The disagreement does not mean the two sides oppose Tinubu’s re-election. Both Wike and the APC Governors Forum have publicly expressed support for the President. The difference lies in how that support should operate alongside the separate contests for state and legislative offices.
As the 2027 campaign develops, political actors are likely to test more cross-party arrangements. Wike’s coalition is one such structure, while the APC governors are insisting that their campaign machinery remain tied to the party’s official candidates.
Meanwhile, the clash has added another layer to Nigeria’s growing 2027 political realignments, with politicians moving between alliances while parties work to protect their candidates. The coming months will show how much room remains for cross-party mobilisation alongside formal party structures.
As at the time of filing this report, the Rainbow Coalition dispute remained unresolved, with Wike insisting that the platform exists solely to mobilise support for Tinubu while APC governors maintain that they will not support alliances that weaken the party or its candidates.
The next stage will depend on how the coalition expands and how the APC and PDP manage candidates at state and legislative levels. For now, Wike and the APC governors share support for Tinubu’s 2027 bid but remain divided over what that support should mean for the rest of the ballot.
