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• Party fears ‘rainbow coalition’ crisis could fester • NWC plans multi-level reconciliation
PGF: We’ll back only APC candidates •Wike: My support ends with Tinubu
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has moved to contain the raging feud between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and governors of the ruling party over the “rainbow coalition,” amid concerns that the confrontation could fester and complicate President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
The intervention comes as the war of words between Wike and the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) intensifies over whether politicians from opposition parties mobilising for Tinubu must also support APC candidates in governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
The governors have drawn a red line, insisting that their campaign machinery will work exclusively for Tinubu and APC candidates at all levels, while Wike has fired back that his support begins and ends with the President and does not extend to other candidates of the ruling party.
Wike has also taken the battle directly to PGF Chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, questioning his electoral strength and telling politicians facing difficult contests in their states not to expect him to help them win.
With the confrontation showing signs of worsening, a member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) told Daily Sun that the party would wade in through “multi-level engagement” to calm the situation and reconcile the competing political interests.
The NWC member acknowledged that while Wike and the APC governors were united behind Tinubu’s re-election, they become political opponents where candidates of Wike’s coalition confront APC flag bearers in other elections.
“Yes, they are working for the same purpose of facilitating the re-election of Mr President, but it does not mean that the rainbow coalition may not have their own agenda.
“If rainbow coalition wants to elect a candidate into the House of Assembly, who is not an APC candidate, what it means is that they are competing against the APC,” he said.
He declared that whatever accommodation existed between the two sides over Tinubu could not override the interests of the ruling party.
“Whatever rainbow coalition means, APC is a party, not a coalition,” he said.
According to him, the governors were concerned that the rainbow coalition could mobilise voters for Tinubu in the presidential election only to turn the same political machinery against APC candidates further down the ballot.
“The only issue that the governors may be pointing to is to avoid a situation where the electorate will take instructions from the coalition to vote for non-APC candidates after voting for Mr President,” he said.
The NWC member warned that the confrontation needed to be taken away from the media and resolved through political engagement.
“The situation requires a high level of strategic networking, not this media war, to streamline the arrangement and ensure that the people understand what they are doing.
“The fact that the coalition supports APC to elect President Tinubu does not mean therefore that APC members are supposed to vote for the candidates of other parties in the name of coalition.”
He confirmed that the party leadership would intervene. “However, the party will definitely wade into it, but you know that it requires multi-level engagement,” he said.
The feud erupted into the open after the PGF, chaired by Uzodimma, rejected any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining APC candidates.
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“The APC Governors 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.”
Uzodimma made clear that the governors’ loyalty would extend throughout the APC ticket.
“In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate because our candidates who are contesting the election are being sponsored by our party.
“The governors’ campaign commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates. All levels of the party campaign architecture will align with the expectations of Mr President and the strategic objectives of the party,” he said.
Wike hit back, insisting that no agreement existed requiring him or other opposition politicians supporting Tinubu to campaign for APC candidates.
“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the re-election of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections,” he said.
He rejected suggestions that the rainbow coalition amounted to an alliance with the APC.
“Most importantly, the rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the 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.”
The minister recalled that he and other members of the G5 governors supported Tinubu in 2023 without entering into a formal alliance with the APC.
“I never met with the All Progressives Congress before myself and other members of the G5 supported the President in 2023. And for 2027, my support is for the President only,” he said.
The confrontation became more personal when Wike turned his fire on Uzodimma, questioning the Imo governor’s ability to mobilise votes for Tinubu.
“In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodimma, how did APC win two Senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day with that of the President and APC had less than 15 per cent in the presidential election? Was it rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?” he asked.
Wike also cited APC National Assembly victories in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu states despite Tinubu’s poor presidential showing in those states, arguing that voters could make different choices in presidential and legislative elections.
“Was it rainbow coalition that also made APC to win National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu states where the President did not have 10 per cent of the votes?” he asked.
“If in 2023, the voters in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi voted APC in the senatorial election and voted another party in the presidential election, they won’t be confused in 2027 provided we all support the President genuinely this time?”
Wike further warned APC politicians not to use Tinubu’s re-election bid to solve their local electoral problems.
“Politics is local and those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using the re-election of the President to whip up sentiments. I won’t be the one to help people to win elections in their states.”
He maintained that the rainbow coalition’s immediate objective was to return Tinubu to office, after which the competing political camps could resume their battles.
“After the President must have been re-elected, we can all go and face elections in our states,” Wike said.
