The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is reportedly gaining support from aggrieved members and former leaders of the All Progressives Congress as the Rainbow Coalition expands its political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to a report by Sunday PUNCH, several APC members who became dissatisfied with the party’s internal processes, particularly its primary elections, have aligned with Wike’s political platform.
The development has heightened tensions between Wike and some APC governors, led by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma.
Some APC leaders reportedly believe the coalition provides an alternative platform for politicians who want to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while contesting under the Peoples Democratic Party in other elections.
A national leader of the APC, who spoke anonymously, claimed that several party members were supporting Wike because of dissatisfaction with how governors handled the party’s primary elections.
The source said the ultimate objective of some of the aggrieved politicians was to support Tinubu’s return to office, even if they did not support APC candidates in their respective states.
The report further revealed that aggrieved APC members from at least 10 states, including Kwara, Gombe, Cross River, Osun, Katsina, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Ogun, Jigawa and Ondo, had moved to the PDP or declared support for Wike’s coalition.
In Kwara State, Dr Tajudeen Olesin and other members of the Otoge Progressives reportedly joined Wike’s camp, citing dissatisfaction with the treatment they received within the APC.
Olesin described the disagreement between Wike and the APC governors as a political struggle, arguing that politicians who felt excluded from their parties’ nomination processes had the right to seek alliances that protected their interests.
However, an aide to the Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, alleged that Wike’s coalition was designed to build a political structure that could position him for the 2031 presidential race.
Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, rejected the claim, arguing that the minister’s support for Tinubu was connected to the rotation of presidential power between the northern and southern regions.
The disagreement between Wike and the APC governors remains centred on political alliances, candidate selection and the potential impact of the Rainbow Coalition on the 2027 elections.
