2027: APC Governors Reject Wike’s Rainbow Coalition as Tinubu Re-election Politics Intensify

ABUJA — Political tensions have intensified within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following a growing disagreement between the APC Governors’ Forum and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over the emerging “Rainbow Coalition” ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The APC governors, led by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, said they would not support any political alliance or arrangement capable of weakening the APC, undermining its candidates or affecting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The position was announced after the governors’ meeting in Abuja on Monday, September 14, 2026. The forum said its campaign commitment would remain focused on official APC candidates at all levels. 

Wike Defends Rainbow Coalition

Wike, however, has maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is not an APC structure and was not established to replace or weaken the ruling party.

In a statement issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike said the coalition was a multi-party platform designed to mobilise support for President Tinubu’s re-election.

He stressed that his support for Tinubu should not be interpreted as an agreement to prevent the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from fielding candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

> “Rainbow Coalition has nothing to do with the APC,” Wike said, according to the statement. 

Adeleke and Wider Political Realignment

The disagreement comes against the backdrop of Wike’s earlier claim that Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke is part of an emerging broader coalition supporting Tinubu.

Wike had described Adeleke’s engagement with Tinubu as part of a developing “National Rainbow Coalition” involving politicians across party lines. He also predicted that the coalition would expand in the weeks ahead. 

The latest dispute therefore reflects a distinction between support for Tinubu at the presidential level and support for APC candidates in other electoral contests.

While the APC Governors’ Forum says its members will remain committed to the party’s candidates across all levels, Wike maintains that politicians can support Tinubu for president while still backing candidates from other parties in state and legislative elections. 

Political Tension Ahead of 2027

The development has added another layer to the political realignments taking shape ahead of the 2027 elections.

For the APC governors, the central concern is maintaining the party’s organisational structure and electoral interests. For Wike, the Rainbow Coalition is being presented as a broader, multi-party mobilisation platform focused specifically on Tinubu’s presidential re-election.

With the 2027 elections approaching, the disagreement highlights the emerging tension between party-based electoral mobilisation and cross-party alliances built around the presidential contest.

The extent to which the two approaches can coexist is expected to remain a major issue in Nigeria’s political landscape as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify. 

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