The disagreement over the proposed Rainbow Coalition has deepened between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike, who has continued to defend the coalition, on Monday named Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun as the three APC governors he said were opposed to the political arrangement.
He made the disclosure while appearing on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, where he argued that the coalition was not intended to weaken the APC.
According to Wike, the initiative is primarily aimed at mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while allowing politicians to retain their respective political platforms and support candidates of their choice in other elections.
He said several governors had no objection to the arrangement, naming the governors of Adamawa, Edo, Kogi, Lagos and Akwa Ibom states, as well as the Ondo State governor, as being receptive to the coalition.
“Adamawa, Edo, Kogi, Lagos and Akwa-Ibom state governors do not have a problem with the Rainbow Coalition. I saw Ondo Governor there, and I was shocked,” Wike said.
He subsequently identified Uzodimma, AbdulRazaq and Abiodun as governors he said were having issues with him over the coalition.
“The governors having issues with me are Governor Hope Uzodimma, Governor Abdulrazaq and Governor Dapo Abiodun,” he said.
The disagreement comes after the APC Governors’ Forum said its members would not participate in, support or endorse any political arrangement capable of weakening the party, affecting its candidates or undermining Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum, has been among the governors publicly associated with the position of the APC Governors’ Forum.
Wike, however, has maintained that supporting Tinubu for president does not require politicians to abandon candidates of other parties contesting governorship and legislative positions.
He cited the 2023 elections, when members of the G5 governors supported Tinubu for president while their respective parties fielded candidates in other elections.
The minister also rejected concerns that the Rainbow Coalition could confuse voters, arguing that Nigerians had previously voted for candidates across different political parties during the same election cycle.
Wike further alleged that the disagreement was connected to attempts by some governors to influence the composition of the National Assembly and its leadership after the 2027 elections. The claim is an allegation by Wike and has been disputed in the wider political debate.
The FCT minister has nevertheless insisted that his immediate political objective is to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.
The APC Governors’ Forum, on the other hand, has maintained its commitment to supporting APC candidates, creating a growing political disagreement over how support for the President should be organised ahead of the 2027 elections.
