Wike Faces Toughest Political Battle As APC Top Hierarchy Rejects Rainbow Coalition

Wike Faces Toughest Political Battle

OpenLife News reports that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is facing his toughest political battle yet as the top hierarchy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has firmly rejected the proposed Rainbow Coalition, a move that threatens to collapse his political structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, declared on Channels Television’s Politics Today that the ruling party will not support candidates of other political parties in 2027, effectively shutting the door on Wike’s strategy of mobilizing support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while retaining his PDP structure to produce governors, senators and House members.

“As a party, we will not support any candidate outside our party,” Yilwatda declared, adding that APC governors have been directed to support only APC candidates at all levels.

“The governors’ position is that they are promoting their own party in their respective states. They will support only APC candidates,” he said.

Yilwatda, responding to questions on whether Tinubu could be left without support in the National Assembly if opposition candidates win legislative seats while campaigning for him, maintained that APC governors were committed to promoting only APC candidates.

The implication is clear: President Tinubu will be supported by APC candidates only, and anyone seeking elective office in 2027 must come under the APC umbrella or be ready to be defeated.

The declaration is a direct blow to Wike, who has been pushing the Rainbow Coalition arrangement that would allow politicians to support Tinubu for president while backing candidates of other parties for governorship and legislative contests.

While Wike has maintained that support for Tinubu does not translate into support for APC candidates in other elections, APC governors have rejected the idea, arguing that it would undermine the party’s candidates and electoral fortunes.

Political analysts say with this position, Wike’s followers in the PDP will be squarely defeated in 2027, as they will no longer enjoy the dual advantage of riding on Tinubu’s incumbency while running on PDP ticket.

The scenario, according to observers, will mirror what happened to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central.

Despite winning on PDP platform, she has faced fierce political battles because the APC machinery in Kogi, loyal to former Governor Yahaya Bello, has refused to accommodate opposition figures, with the ruling party throwing its full weight behind its own loyalists.

In the end, the APC structure prevailed over cross-party accommodation.

The same fate is now predicted for Wike’s loyalists across Rivers and other states where they hope to leverage Tinubu’s support to win PDP tickets.

With APC insisting on fielding and supporting only APC candidates, Wike’s men will have to face the full might of APC governors and structures without presidential cover.

The cracks are already showing elsewhere.

In Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu of the PDP, who has been romancing the Tinubu presidency while hoping to keep his PDP governorship ambition, is already having problems as the APC in the state, led by Governor Dapo Abiodun, has closed ranks against any rainbow arrangement.

Just on Saturday, October 10, the names of  Ladi Adebutu and Isa Ali Pantami, Ogun and Gombe 2027 PDP governorship candidates were missing on INEC final candidates’ list, a development that caused confusion in PDP camp and excitment in APC camp.

Analysts see this as a warning to Wike that rainbow coalition is unwelcome in APC.

At the moment former Minister Isa Ali Pantami, who is believed to be exploring a return to the political space through a coalition, is facing resistance from the entrenched APC hierarchy that will not cede ground to outsiders.

Speaking on the issue Monday morning on Arise TV, Honourable Jungudo Mohammed, the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, assured the party loyalists to be calm, saying that the party is engaging INEC to correct the error of omission on INEC final list.

When reminded by Arise anchor that  PDP may erred by violating the deadline on party membership register, Jungudo defended by saying that some  APC candidates whose names appeared equally violated the section 77 law as ruled by Supreme Court.

For Wike, who has built his post-2023 political relevance on being Tinubu’s man in PDP, the rejection of the Rainbow Coalition leaves him politically stranded — too deep in APC to return fully to PDP, yet not fully accommodated in APC to determine its candidates.