The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has asked President Bola Tinubu to step in and calm a widening rift between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and a group of APC governors over the Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ima Niboro, the PCC spokesman, described the dispute as an internal disagreement among allies who share the same goal—Tinubu’s re-election—but differ on how the coalition should operate. He said the matter should be resolved within party ranks and cautioned against airing differences in public.
Tensions flared after APC governors, led by Progressive Governors Forum chairman and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, warned they would not back any alliance that weakens the party, undermines APC candidates, or jeopardises Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
Wike, however, says the Rainbow Coalition exists to broaden support for Tinubu in 2027 while allowing politicians from different parties to keep their identities and run for other offices. He has called the governors “politically lazy,” arguing that supporting the President is not the same as backing a single party’s candidates.
Niboro warned that the public spat is already affecting relationships at state and local government levels, making presidential intervention necessary to manage competing interests.
“This is a quarrel among political siblings,” he said. “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. The quarrel is trickling down to states and local government areas, so it’s in the President’s interest to intervene for peace.”
APC chieftain Joe Igbokwe urged direct talks between Wike and the governors, saying the minister should explain the coalition’s aims rather than allowing the disagreement to play out in public. “Wike is a critical stakeholder. You can ignore him to your own peril. He has followers,” Igbokwe said, calling for a face-to-face meeting to clarify intentions.
Former Voice of Nigeria director-general Osita Okechukwu urged caution among governors calling for Wike’s exclusion. He argued the issue should have been handled through party channels and said Wike’s support could bring additional votes to Tinubu in 2027. “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,” Okechukwu said.
The dispute has drawn attention in states such as Rivers, Kwara, Gombe and Cross River, where coalition-backed arrangements have raised questions about how they fit with existing APC structures.
