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….The FCT minister says President Bola Tinubu is aware of the coalition and his political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike Explains Dispute With APC Governors
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that Governor Hope Uzodinma’s reported ambition to become Senate President in 2027 is behind opposition from some APC governors to the Rainbow Coalition.
Wike made the allegation during an interview with TVC News on Monday while discussing the growing disagreement between him and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
The dispute centres on the Rainbow Coalition, a political arrangement promoted by Wike to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu across party lines ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The APC Governors’ Forum, chaired by Uzodinma, has rejected political arrangements that it says could weaken the party or affect its candidates during the 2027 elections.
Wike, however, has maintained that supporting Tinubu for president does not require politicians to abandon their parties or stop supporting candidates of their choice in governorship and legislative contests.
Wike Accuses Uzodinma of Political Ambition
During the TVC interview, Wike directly linked the disagreement to what he described as Uzodinma’s ambition to become Senate President after the 2027 elections.
“All this noise against the Rainbow Coalition is about the ambition of Governor Hope Uzodinma to be Senate President in 2027,” Wike said.
He also said he would not support Uzodinma for the position, arguing that politicians who were unable to secure tickets within the APC had alternative platforms through which they could contest elections.
According to Wike, those politicians could eventually win legislative seats without being politically obligated to support Uzodinma’s reported Senate presidency ambition.
The allegation about Uzodinma’s motive was made by Wike. Uzodinma and the APC Governors’ Forum have not publicly accepted that characterization. Their stated objection has focused on political arrangements they believe could undermine the APC or affect its candidates.
Tinubu Aware of Rainbow Coalition, Wike Says
Wike also insisted that President Bola Tinubu knows about the Rainbow Coalition and his political activities.
“President Tinubu knows about the Rainbow Coalition. There is nothing that I am doing that he is not aware of,” he said.
The FCT minister has repeatedly made the same argument in recent interviews, saying his political engagement is centred on mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election rather than taking over the APC or replacing the party’s structures.
In a separate interview reported earlier in September, Wike said the Rainbow Coalition was not an APC structure and argued that his support for Tinubu did not prevent the Peoples Democratic Party or other parties from presenting candidates for other positions.
APC Governors Maintain Their Position
The disagreement escalated after the Progressive Governors Forum rejected political alliances that could create divided loyalty within the APC or adversely affect the party’s candidates.
The forum’s position has placed its members on a different political path from Wike’s cross-party mobilisation strategy.
The governors have maintained that their focus is protecting the APC and supporting its candidates at the various levels of the 2027 elections.
Wike, meanwhile, argues that presidential support can operate separately from contests for governorship, Senate and House of Representatives seats.
That difference has become a central issue in the emerging political alignments ahead of 2027.
Political Alliances Take Shape Ahead of 2027
The disagreement comes as politicians across Nigeria begin forming alliances, consulting political stakeholders and positioning themselves ahead of the next general elections.
Wike remains a member of the PDP while serving as a minister in Tinubu’s administration. His decision to campaign for Tinubu’s re-election has continued to generate debate within and outside the ruling party.
The FCT minister has also rejected suggestions that the Rainbow Coalition represents an attempt to weaken the APC. He has instead described it as a broader platform focused on supporting Tinubu across party lines.
The APC governors’ opposition, however, shows the tension that can emerge when cross-party presidential mobilisation intersects with the interests of political parties and their candidates at state and legislative levels.
For now, Wike and the APC Governors’ Forum maintain different positions on how political support for the 2027 presidential election should relate to party structures and candidates.
