Wike Declares Rainbow Coalition Backs Only Tinubu, Has No Ties With APC
Abuja, Nigeria—September 15, 2026—Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has drawn a firm line in the sand, stating that his Rainbow Coalition is dedicated solely to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and has no affiliation whatsoever with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike pushed back against suggestions that the coalition was an APC-linked arrangement or that his support extended to other candidates of the ruling party.
“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilize support for the reelection of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections,” Wike declared.
“Most importantly, Rainbow Coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilizing support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term.”
Response to APC Governors’ Warning
The clarification comes a day after the Progressive Governors Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, resolved that APC governors would not endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election or weakening the party’s candidates at all levels.
Uzodimma had stressed that the governors’ commitment remains exclusively to APC candidates and that they would not support structures that could create “divided loyalty” or competing interests within the party.
Wike, who remains a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while serving in the APC-led federal government, insisted his position has been consistent.
He recalled that neither he nor the other G5 governors held formal discussions with the APC before backing Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election. The same principle, he argued, should apply in 2027.
“Politics Is Local”
The FCT Minister further stated that he would not help politicians win elections in their individual states.
“I won’t be the one to help people to win elections in their states. Politics is local, and those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using the re-election of the President to whip up sentiments,” he said.
He pointed to the 2023 voting patterns in Imo, Abia, Enugu, and Ebonyi states—where many voters supported different parties at the presidential and National Assembly levels—as evidence that Nigerians can distinguish between contests.
“After the President has been re-elected, we can all go and face elections in our states,” Wike added.
Cross-Party Vehicle for Tinubu
Wike described the Rainbow Coalition, which he founded in 2025 under the “Renewed Hope Family” banner, as a multi-party platform open to politicians from both the APC and PDP who believe Tinubu has performed well enough to deserve a second term.
Its focus, he maintained, remains grassroots mobilization for the presidential election rather than building parallel party structures.
The exchange highlights the delicate political balancing act ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Wike positioning himself as a key Tinubu ally outside formal APC structures while preserving his influence within the PDP in Rivers State and beyond.
As the political temperature rises, both the Rainbow Coalition and the APC governors’ forum appear determined to prioritize Tinubu’s re-election—even if they differ sharply on the methods and structures to achieve it.
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