Precious Nwonu, Enugu

Several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress have rejected the political coalition being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, insisting that he should formally join the ruling party if he intends to support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.

The disagreement centres on Wike’s continued membership of the Peoples Democratic Party while supporting Tinubu, an APC president, and building a political coalition that could back candidates from different parties in state and legislative elections.

The development has widened differences within Tinubu’s political camp over how support for the President’s 2027 re-election should be organised and whether such support should extend to APC candidates contesting other elective positions.

Wike, a former Rivers State governor and PDP presidential aspirant in 2023, was appointed Minister of the FCT by Tinubu after the 2023 election.

The controversy intensified after Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal called on Wike to choose between joining the APC and continuing with the coalition.

Speaking on Channels Television’s *Inside Sources* on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lawal said Wike could not simultaneously support the APC and candidates of other parties.

“Our message is very, very clear: Be on one side. You can’t be on two sides. If you’re in APC, please come out and support APC,” Lawal said.

Asked whether the governors wanted Wike to join the APC, Lawal replied, “Exactly. What’s the essence?”

He added that he would discuss Wike’s political position with Tinubu, insisting that the minister should clearly identify with one political platform.

### APC Chapters Push Back

The position of the APC governors has received support from several state chapters.

In Imo State, APC Publicity Secretary Jones Onwuasoanya said Wike should formally identify with the ruling party if he was committed to Tinubu’s re-election.

He argued that supporting the President while remaining outside the APC created an ambiguous political position.

Onwuasoanya also said the Imo APC did not recognise the Rainbow Coalition as an alternative political structure in the state.

In Gombe, APC Publicity Secretary Murtala Usman similarly called on Wike to join the ruling party, warning that the coalition could create confusion among APC stakeholders.

He noted that the recent movement of some PDP politicians into the APC had already created tensions within some state chapters.

### Ondo Demands Support For APC Candidates

The Ondo State APC also rejected the idea of supporting Tinubu for president while backing candidates from other parties in governorship and legislative elections.

State party secretary Alex Kalejaiye said the APC’s objective was to mobilise support for all its candidates.

According to him, the party planned to support Tinubu as well as its senatorial, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly candidates.

Kalejaiye urged Wike to collapse his coalition into the APC so that the party could present a common political platform during the elections.

### Jigawa Open To Wike

The position was different in Jigawa, where the APC welcomed Wike’s support for Tinubu and said it would accept him if he chose to join the party.

The state APC Publicity Secretary, Bashir Kundu, said the party appreciated Wike’s efforts in promoting Tinubu’s 2027 presidential bid.

Kundu also argued that the APC itself emerged from a coalition of political parties and therefore had the capacity to accommodate politicians from different political backgrounds.

### Divided Position In Benue

In Benue State, APC members expressed differing views.

James Orgunga, an organising secretary of one of the APC factions, praised Wike’s support for Tinubu but said he would prefer the minister to formally join the party.

However, Daniel Ihomun, publicity secretary of another faction aligned with Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, argued that Wike should remain in the PDP.

Ihomun said Wike’s activities had weakened the PDP and claimed that a political arrangement involving APC, PDP and Labour Party members existed in the state in support of Tinubu.

### Rivers APC Backs Governors

In Rivers State, where Wike remains a major political figure, the factional APC led by Emeka Beke backed the Progressive Governors Forum’s position.

The faction’s publicity secretary, Darlington Nwauju, argued that voters could become confused if encouraged to support different parties for various positions during the same election.

Nwauju said Wike should either join the APC or refrain from interfering in the party’s internal affairs.

### Anambra, Kwara Reject Coalition

Anambra State APC Chairman Emmanuel Anosike described Wike’s coalition as unacceptable to the party, arguing that the minister remained a PDP member.

He said APC governors already had political structures for mobilising support for Tinubu ahead of 2027.

In Kwara State, APC Chairman Sunday Fagbemi questioned how the coalition’s proposed voting arrangement would work when presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections are held simultaneously.

He said APC members were expected to support the party’s candidates across the ballot.

### Plateau, Nasarawa Also Oppose Arrangement

Plateau State APC Chairman Rufus Bature said the party had no knowledge of a Rainbow Coalition structure in the state.

Bature said Wike was free to join the APC but could not simultaneously maintain political ties with the PDP while operating within the APC’s political space.

In Nasarawa, APC Publicity Secretary Augustine Ogaba also urged Wike to join the ruling party, while acknowledging his support for Tinubu.

Ogaba said the state chapter did not recognise coalitions that were not endorsed by the party leadership.

### Some Chapters Remain Neutral

Not all APC chapters have taken a position.

In Osun State, APC spokesman Kola Olabisi said the decision on whether Wike should join the party was a matter for the national leadership.

Delta State APC Chairman Solomon Arenyeka similarly said the state chapter was awaiting a formal position from the national leadership.

In Bayelsa, APC chieftain Doubara Joseph urged Wike to join the APC if he remained committed to Tinubu, while state chairman Warman Ogoriba declined to comment.

Sokoto APC Chairman Haruna Adiya said the state chapter had no member in the Rainbow Coalition and declined to take a broader position on the matter.

In Niger State, APC spokesman Musa Sarkin-Kaji said the state chapter had no formal relationship with Wike but acknowledged his association with the ruling party.

Bauchi APC spokesman Shehu Dauda also said the party did not support divided loyalty.

### Wike Defends Coalition

Wike has rejected the argument that his political coalition is an APC structure or that it is intended to undermine the ruling party.

Through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the minister said the coalition’s support was specifically for Tinubu’s presidential re-election and did not prevent other parties from fielding candidates for governorship and legislative elections.

Wike has also pointed to his role, alongside members of the former G5 governors, in supporting Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election without formally defecting to the APC.

He has maintained that “politics is local” and that political actors should be allowed to determine their alliances at the state level.

### Umahi Rejects Coalition In Ebonyi

Minister of Works David Umahi, a former Ebonyi State governor who moved from the PDP to the APC, said there was no Rainbow Coalition in Ebonyi.

“If Wike has candidates here, he has not told me,” Umahi said, adding that any candidate associated with Wike was not part of his political relationship with the minister.

Umahi also warned politicians against hate speech and actions capable of creating political tension in the state.

Despite the opposition from several APC figures, PDP officials continue to maintain that Wike remains a member of the opposition party.

In Abia State, PDP deputy governorship candidate Abraham Amah described the APC’s invitation to Wike as political courting and insisted that the FCT minister remained a PDP member and national leader.

The conflicting positions have placed Wike at the centre of an emerging debate within Tinubu’s political camp over whether support for the President in 2027 should be organised through the APC alone or through a broader coalition involving politicians from different parties.