The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the growing disagreement between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and APC governors over the proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
APC PCC spokesman Ima Niboro said the disagreement should be handled internally before it affects the party’s political structure. He described the dispute as an internal disagreement between political allies who share the same broad objective but differ over how it should be achieved.
The disagreement centres on Wike’s proposed cross-party coalition, which he says is intended to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election while allowing other political parties to maintain their own candidates for state and legislative contests.
APC governors, led by Progressive Governors Forum chairman and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, have rejected any political arrangement they believe could weaken the APC, affect its candidates or undermine Tinubu’s 2027 bid.
Wike has criticised the governors’ position, describing them as “politically lazy” and arguing that his support for Tinubu does not mean opposition parties should be prevented from fielding candidates.
“They are politically lazy. When you have your local problems, don’t use Mr President as your excuse,” Wike said.
He also maintained that the disagreement over his political activities was not new, recalling that he faced opposition from some quarters after his appointment as FCT minister and during his time as Rivers State governor.
“This thing did not start today. It started at my appointment as a minister. They were not happy that I was Minister of FCT. Also, they were unhappy when I was governor,” he said.
Wike further suggested that some of those criticising his political strategy may not have access to the same information available to him.
“If they know what I know, they would not come out to shout,” he said.
The minister has continued to maintain that his support for Tinubu remains firm and that supporting the President is separate from the activities and interests of individual political parties.
APC-PCC Reacts
Reacting to the disagreement, Niboro described it as a dispute between political allies who ultimately share the same objective.
“I consider this a quarrel among political siblings. They are all working in the same direction, but there are differences in the details. Both camps agree that President Tinubu must return in 2027.”
Niboro said the President has an interest in resolving the disagreement because the dispute has begun to extend beyond the national level and into states and local government areas.
“The ultimate beneficiary of this entire process is the President. The quarrel we are talking about is a quarrel that is trickling down to states and local government areas. But both camps agreed on re-electing the President. I do not see it as a direct challenge to the President himself, beyond the fact that he is a leader and it’s in his interest to intervene for peace.
“If I were the President, for instance,you know, the President is an astute, very experienced politician, you cannot take that from him, I think he is networking these people. I know that. You see this kind of quarrel, you remember when we used to be in the PDP, sometimes the party gets so big, it becomes its own opposition.
‘’Those days, (Vincent Ogbulafor and) Ali Modu Sheriff used to say that PDP will rule for 60 years and there’s no opposition, but PDP itself became its opposition.
“That’s how you had the breakaways from PDP and all those issues that led to the demise of PDP governance in this country. So, these are the issues that happen when you have big parties. It is inevitable. So, they have to be managed.
‘’These things have to be managed, and we have a leader who I think is competent enough to manage these things, and he will. Take my word.”
Niboro also urged the political actors to move away from public exchanges and concentrate on building their structures and engaging voters at the grassroots.
Wike Urged to Explain Coalition to APC Governors
APC chieftain Joe Igbokwe also weighed in on the disagreement, calling on Wike to meet with the party’s governors and explain the purpose and structure of his proposed Rainbow Coalition.
Igbokwe said Wike remained an important political stakeholder whose influence should not simply be ignored.
“Wike is a critical stakeholder You can ignore him to your own peril. He has a command. He has followers,” Igbokwe said.
However, he questioned the timing and approach of the coalition and urged Wike to engage directly with the governors.
“Coming at this time, to put this (Rainbow Coalition) on the table, it’s not… he has to listen to the majority, sit down with the governors and explain,” he said.
He said the disagreement should be addressed through discussions rather than continued public exchanges.
“No man is an island. Explain to your colleagues what you are trying to do,” he added.
Okechukwu Warns Tinubu Over Calls to Abandon Wike
Former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria and APC foundation member Osita Okechukwu also urged Tinubu to be cautious about calls from some APC governors for him to distance himself from Wike.
Okechukwu argued that the disagreement should have been addressed through internal party discussions rather than public statements.
“In my 48 years in party politics, I have never seen where such an elementary issue was pretentiously thrown open. May I ask the governors: don’t you have access to Mr. President, and what is the proverbial caucus meant for? My summation is simple: Mr. President, beware of pretenders.”
He argued that Wike’s political network had contributed to Tinubu’s support in the 2023 election and said the President should maintain a broad political coalition.
“Truly, it is improper for Mr. President to dump Wike after we harvested the Wike masquerade, which not only boosted our great party’s votes in 2023, but also denied Atiku Abubakar substantial votes, and will mobilise voters in states where the FPGs had alienated the electorate by personalising power.”
Okechukwu also rejected the suggestion that the APC governors had been sidelined, saying the President could benefit from additional support from Wike’s political network.
“Mr. President has never overlooked the governors. All he wants is supplementary votes from Wike, especially in states where the electorate is angry and where some of the FPGs have alienated the people.
‘’The governors should concentrate on strengthening their relationship with the electorate rather than asking Mr. President to abandon a political alliance that could broaden the APC’s electoral reach.”
He urged Tinubu to keep his political options open as discussions continue over the coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
