The All Progressives Congress (APC) Grassroots Organisation has warned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, against using his support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid to undermine the structures and interests of the ruling party.

The stakeholders said Wike’s proposed “Rainbow Coalition” must not be allowed to operate as a parallel political structure capable of weakening the APC or creating conflicts with the party’s elected governors, candidates and organs.

In a statement signed by its chairman, Mukhtar Tanimu Rabiu, they warned that Wike must not be allowed to “destroy the APC the same way he destroyed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

It alleged that Wike had polarised PDP governors, influenced the party’s leadership and attacked major organs of the party, adding that a similar pattern was now being repeated within the APC.

The group expressed concern that while APC governors had rejected attempts to divide them, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), led by National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, had remained silent as Wike intensified his criticism of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF).

According to the organisation, Wike’s support for Tinubu should be welcomed, but it should not confer on him the authority to establish an alternative structure to the APC.

“Support President Tinubu. But do not expect APC governors to surrender their governors, senators, House members, Assembly candidates or party structures to Wike’s faction of the PDP,” it said.

The group argued that Wike could inadvertently undermine the President’s 2027 campaign by introducing a competing structure into an election in which APC governors and other party officials are expected to mobilise support for Tinubu and other APC candidates.

It also disputed claims that Wike’s former PDP G-5 alliance constituted an indispensable electoral machine for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
The organisation recalled that three members of the G-5—former Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and former Benue Governor Samuel Ortom—lost their senatorial elections in 2023.

It noted that the only member of the former G-5 who successfully retained his elective position in the 2023 elections was Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who, it said, eventually broke ranks with Wike.

The group also questioned Wike’s claim to significant grassroots electoral influence, alleging that some of the former G-5 governors performed poorly in their respective constituencies during the 2023 elections.

It further made claims concerning the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State and Wike’s local government, while questioning what it described as the minister’s “self-acclaimed street credibility.”

The organisation said an individual or support group should not be allowed to function as a parallel party structure simply because it supports the President.

It said Wike’s “Rainbow Coalition” should not be treated as an alternative to the APC’s elected governors, candidates or formal party structures, particularly after the minister’s reported acknowledgement that the coalition was not an APC structure.

The statement came amid growing disagreement between Wike and APC governors over the coalition. The governors have maintained that they would not support political arrangements capable of weakening the APC or adversely affecting its candidates.

The grassroots organisation pointed to the APC’s control of 31 of the 36 states, arguing that the ruling party already possesses an extensive network of governors and state structures through which Tinubu’s 2027 campaign can be organised.

It also questioned Wike’s reported intervention in the choice of the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, citing his support for Kingsley Chinda.
“Why did Wike not field Chinda as PDP candidate if truly he had any faith in his so-called Rainbow Coalition?” the group asked.

It urged the APC leadership to protect the party’s structures and ensure that competing political interests do not create confusion among governors, candidates and grassroots party members ahead of the 2027 elections.

The organisation said Wike’s support for Tinubu remained welcome but insisted that such support should strengthen, rather than weaken, the APC’s established political structures.