APC chairman in Imo urges Minister Wike to join the party — Premium Times Nigeria
In Abuja, Nigeria, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State, Austin Onyedebelu, urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to formally join President Bola Tinubu’s party. According to him, Wike should join the APC if he truly seeks to secure Tinubu’s re-election for a second term in 2027.
Onyedebelu said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, Premium Times Nigeria reports. Wike is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while stating that he supports President Tinubu.
Dispute over the Rainbow Coalition
A political conflict has emerged between Wike and the Progressive Governors’ Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, over the Rainbow Coalition. Wike says the coalition is intended to help Tinubu win a second presidential term. At the same time, the Progressive Governors’ Forum believes that such a structure could weaken the APC’s position in the future.
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Onyedebelu said that Nigeria’s electoral law does not provide for simultaneous membership in two political parties. He also accused Wike of attempting to use the Rainbow Coalition to restore the PDP’s position and support his own presidential ambitions. These claims are the position of the APC chairman in Imo State.
Position of Wike’s supporters
Former Imo deputy governor and PDP Senate candidate for the Imo East district, Ize Madumere, on the other hand, called Wike an exceptional politician. According to him, the minister’s political approach demonstrates the advantages of democracy, while Wike himself outlined a course for Rainbow Coalition supporters.
Madumere noted that Wike had openly declared support for Tinubu’s presidency from the outset and demonstrated it together with the governors of the G5 group during the 2023 general elections. He added that the minister supports Tinubu at the presidential level without undermining the activities of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, and linked the criticism against him to the president’s trust in Wike’s political abilities.
