A growing number of aggrieved All Progressives Congress members and former party leaders have begun aligning with the Rainbow Coalition led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in a development that is sharpening internal tensions within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Many APC figures who have either left the party or expressed deep dissatisfaction with its internal processes have endorsed Wike’s cross-party platform.
The Progressive Governors Forum, led by the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, had on Monday described the coalition as a threat to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
The development has since generated controversy, as some members of the APC supported the governors while others backed Wike.
However, a national leader of the APC, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity on Friday, described the Rainbow Coalition as an alternative group for aggrieved APC leaders and an extension of President Bola Tinubu’s platform to actualise his re-election.
According to him, many leaders of the APC are supporting Wike because of the way the governors handled the party’s primaries.
“Wike has the support of the President on his Rainbow Coalition. It is an alternative platform for aggrieved APC members who may want to join the ADC (African Democratic Congress). So, instead of joining the ADC, they move to the PDP where they will be given a ticket or recognition with assurance from them that they will work for Tinubu.
“Anybody who left the party (APC) for ADC is considered as an enemy, but if you join PDP, which is led by Wike, you are not a threat. PDP or Wike’s Rainbow Coalition is an extension of the APC.
“Wike is taking care of the national leaders of the APC. He is generous and also delivering projects. The President is happy with him. A lot of APC leaders are supporting him, and don’t be surprised if the number of APC governors reduces in 2027. Wike is playing a very good game,” he said.
Another official of the APC, who also spoke on condition of anonymity on Saturday, stated that leaders who were aggrieved as a result of the primaries had resolved to work for the President and might not necessarily support the party’s candidates in their various states.
He maintained that Tinubu’s victory remained the major concern of the party, adding that each candidate and those who fielded them should manage the party’s affairs to secure their victory.
“The victory of Mr President in the next year’s election is sacrosanct and remains our major concern. Whatever Wike and the APC governors are doing is of lesser concern because, before now, some people who felt cheated by their governors in the party’s primaries have joined Wike.
“Wike is a strong mobiliser for Mr President’s re-election, so how do you think we will work against him on that? The governors should have managed the post-primary crises very well.
