The development is part of a wider dispute over Wike’s “Rainbow Coalition.” APC governors resolved on September 14 that they would not support any arrangement capable of weakening the party or its candidates, while Wike has denied ever asking the governors to join his coalition and says the platform is specifically intended to mobilise cross-party support for Tinubu.
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The All Progressives Congress Grassroots Organisation has warned Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, against using his support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid to create what it described as a parallel political structure capable of undermining the ruling party, its governors and candidates.
The group specifically cautioned that Wike should not be allowed to “destroy the APC the same way he destroyed the PDP,” although the assertion about his responsibility for the Peoples Democratic Party’s internal crises represents the organisation’s political assessment and not an established finding.
The warning was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman of the APC Grassroots Organisation, Mukhtar Tanimu Rabiu, against the backdrop of growing disagreement between Wike and governors elected on the APC platform over the FCT Minister’s proposed “Rainbow Coalition.”
The organisation accused Wike of deploying political tactics which it claimed contributed to divisions within the PDP and alleged that a similar pattern was beginning to emerge around the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It also expressed concern over what it described as the silence of the APC National Working Committee, led by National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, amid the dispute.
According to the group, Wike’s political activities should not be allowed to weaken the Progressive Governors Forum or create competing structures within states controlled by the APC.
The Progressive Governors Forum is the umbrella body of governors elected on the APC platform and is chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma.
The grassroots organisation maintained that while it welcomes support from Wike and other political actors for Tinubu’s re-election, such support should not come at the expense of APC candidates seeking governorship, National Assembly and state legislative seats in 2027.
“Wike must not be allowed to destroy the APC the same way he destroyed the PDP,” the organisation said, while insisting that support for Tinubu should operate in a manner that does not undermine established APC structures.
The group argued that Wike’s Rainbow Coalition should not be considered an alternative to the APC’s elected governors, candidates, National Working Committee or other formal organs.
According to the organisation, political difficulties could arise where a coalition campaigns for Tinubu’s presidential re-election while simultaneously backing candidates belonging to other political parties against APC candidates in governorship and legislative contests.
It therefore called on the APC leadership to ensure that external support for the President does not translate into the creation of competing centres of political authority within the party.
The group also criticised what it described as the “curious silence” of the APC National Working Committee while the dispute between Wike and APC governors has intensified.
It alleged that Wike had previously polarised PDP governors and attacked major organs of the opposition party, and warned APC leaders against allowing what it described as a repetition of that experience.
Those accusations remain the claims of the APC Grassroots Organisation and have been disputed politically by Wike and his allies.
The warning follows an earlier intervention by the Progressive Governors Forum, which met in Abuja on September 14 and resolved that its members would not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of weakening the APC, undermining Tinubu’s re-election campaign or adversely affecting the party’s candidates at any level in 2027.
Speaking after the closed-door meeting, Uzodimma said the governors would support President Tinubu and official APC candidates in the forthcoming elections.
“The forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support, or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of Mr President, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels,” Uzodimma said.
The governors’ declaration was widely interpreted as a rejection of Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, which the minister has been promoting as a vehicle for mobilising political support for Tinubu beyond the APC.
Wike has, however, rejected suggestions that he approached the Progressive Governors Forum seeking an alliance with his coalition.
In an interview following the governors’ resolution, the former Rivers State governor said he had never approached APC governors seeking their participation in the Rainbow Coalition.
He maintained that the political platform was separate from the APC and intended to bring together supporters of Tinubu from different political parties.
“There is no day I went to the Governors’ Forum to align with any rainbow coalition,” Wike said, insisting that he had not requested an alliance with the APC governors.
Wike has also maintained that support for Tinubu does not automatically mean that those participating in his coalition must support APC candidates in every other election.
His position has intensified concerns among some APC stakeholders who argue that a coalition supporting Tinubu while backing non-APC candidates in other contests could bring the President’s supporters into direct competition with the ruling party’s own candidates.
The controversy has also drawn intervention from APC leaders in the South-East.
The party’s South-East leadership backed the Progressive Governors Forum and said APC structures in the region would resist political arrangements capable of undermining candidates legitimately fielded by the party.
The South-East leaders also demanded an apology from Wike over remarks critical of APC governors following their rejection of the proposed coalition arrangement.
The APC Grassroots Organisation, in its latest intervention, argued that the ruling party already possesses an extensive network of governors, elected officials and party structures capable of organising Tinubu’s 2027 campaign.
It claimed that the APC controls 31 of Nigeria’s 36 states and maintained that those existing structures should form the foundation for the President’s re-election campaign rather than any separate political arrangement.
The group consequently urged the party leadership to protect the authority of its elected governors and candidates while accommodating political support from outside the APC.
The dispute has therefore developed beyond the question of support for Tinubu and now centres on whether the Rainbow Coalition could coexist with the APC’s formal structures without creating conflicting political interests in states and constituencies where opposition politicians participating in the coalition may contest against APC candidates.
Wike, for his part, continues to insist that his political project is intended to mobilise support for Tinubu and does not amount to an attempt to take control of the APC or its governors.
The APC governors and groups within the ruling party have equally maintained that while support for the President is welcome, they will not endorse any political arrangement they believe could weaken official APC candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
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