In Nigeria, APC supporters criticize Wike’s coalition — Premium Times Nigeria
In Nigeria, the APC Grassroots Organisation, which supports the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has spoken out against the Rainbow Coalition, which Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike is promoting to mobilize support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. The organization’s chairman, Mukhtar Rabiu, said the coalition could become a parallel campaign structure and cause a split in the ruling party. This was reported by Premium Times Nigeria.
Dispute with APC governors
Wike is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but serves in the APC-led federal government. According to him, the Rainbow Coalition is intended to mobilize support for Tinubu’s re-election. The coalition initially emerged in Rivers State, where Wike previously served as governor, and later expanded its activities to other parts of the country.
APC governors, united in the Progressive Governors’ Forum, opposed the structure, saying it could harm the party and its candidates in the 2027 elections. The governors and other APC representatives also claimed that Wike was using the coalition to support politicians who lost party primaries and are now running under the PDP. In response, Wike said the governors were afraid of losing their own elections and criticized their performance in their states.
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Position of the APC supporters’ organization
Rabiu called on the APC leadership not to view the Rainbow Coalition as an alternative campaign structure. In his view, support for the president should not allow a separate group to operate as a parallel party organization. He also said that the APC’s existing structures in the states were sufficient for Tinubu’s campaign.
The APC Grassroots Organisation also rejected claims that the former G-5 alliance made a significant contribution to Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election. The G-5 included Wike, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, as well as the then governors of Benue, Abia and Enugu states — Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. The alliance emerged after the PDP primaries in 2022 and refused to support Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign because of an internal party conflict.
