Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The All Progressives Congress in Ondo State has formally disowned the Rainbow Coalition, the political movement championed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, describing it as a destabilising arrangement that could plunge the 2027 general elections into crisis. In a statement issued in Akure on Sunday, September 27, 2026, the party's State Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, said the chapter was disturbed by the coalition's ideology of supporting only President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the presidential election while fielding candidates for other positions on different political platforms. "To us in Ondo State, support for the candidates of the ruling party must be total. Our party is committed to mobilising votes for the President, three senatorial candidates, nine House of Representatives candidates and 26 House of Assembly candidates. That is not negotiable," Kalejaye declared.
The Ondo APC's rejection is the latest in a series of blows to Wike's coalition, which has faced mounting opposition from state chapters of the ruling party. The Imo State APC, through its Publicity Secretary, Jones Onwuasoanya, had earlier dismissed the coalition as a structure with no relevance in the state, urging Wike to formally join the APC if he was sincere about his support for Tinubu. "Decency demands that an individual who claims so much allegiance to the philosophies and programmes of a political party should fully align with that political party, rather than playing hide and seek with his loyalty," Onwuasoanya said. In Gombe, the APC Publicity Secretary, Murtala Usman, warned that the coalition would cause confusion within the party, while the Jigawa chapter said it would welcome Wike only if he dumped the Peoples Democratic Party and joined the APC.
The controversy stems from Wike's insistence that he can remain a member of the PDP while mobilising support for Tinubu's re-election and simultaneously backing candidates of other parties in governorship, senatorial, and House of Assembly contests. Wike, who served as governor of Rivers State on the PDP platform and has been a vocal supporter of the Tinubu administration, has argued that supporting a presidential candidate should not prevent political parties from fielding candidates for other positions. He has described the APC governors opposing his coalition as "politically lazy" and accused them of trying to monopolise political support.
The APC governors, led by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, have rejected Wike's position outright. In a communiqué issued after their meeting, the governors resolved that they would not participate in, support, or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of President Tinubu, weakening the APC, or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at any level. "The forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate because our candidates who are contesting the election are being sponsored by our party," the governors said. The National Working Committee of the APC subsequently aligned itself with the governors' position at its 195th meeting and national strategic retreat held in Maiduguri, Borno State, passing a vote of confidence in Tinubu and all APC candidates.
Ondo State's rejection of the coalition is particularly significant because Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had been mentioned by Wike as one of the governors who were not opposed to the coalition. Wike had said he was surprised to see Aiyedatiwa at a meeting where opposition to the coalition was discussed, implying that the Ondo governor was sympathetic to his cause. The state APC's formal disownment of the coalition directly contradicts that suggestion and reinforces the party's position that support for its candidates must be complete and undivided.
The Ondo APC also used the occasion to warn its members against anti-party activities. Kalejaye said the state secretariat viewed romancing with other political parties or candidates on other platforms as a clear affront to the party's collective success, warning that anyone caught indulging in such activities would be appropriately sanctioned. He noted that the party had no agreement with any of its members who had left to contest elections on other platforms, stressing that its focus remained on securing victory for all APC candidates. The party urged its members to embrace actions that promote unity and cohesion, setting a minimum target of one million votes for the 2027 elections.
Kalejaye further argued that a coalition supporting the President on one platform while backing other candidates on different platforms could create confusion and potentially lead to an electoral crisis, including on election day. His warning reflects a broader concern within the APC that Wike's coalition, if allowed to operate unchecked, could splinter the party's support base and undermine its chances in states where the PDP and other parties are fielding strong candidates. The coalition has attracted aggrieved APC members in at least ten states, including Kwara, Osun, Katsina, Ondo, Ogun, and Gombe, according to reports, with some defectors joining the PDP to align with Wike's movement.
The political implications of the Ondo APC's stance are far-reaching. Ondo is one of the states where the APC is seeking to consolidate its hold ahead of the 2027 elections, and any internal division could weaken its prospects. Governor Aiyedatiwa, who assumed office in 2023 following the death of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, is expected to seek a full term in 2025 and will rely on a united party structure to secure victory. The state APC's decision to publicly distance itself from Wike's coalition is therefore as much about internal discipline as it is about national politics.
Wike has not yet responded to the Ondo APC's statement. The FCT minister has consistently maintained that he never approached the APC governors for any alliance and that his coalition is a grassroots movement focused on mobilising support for Tinubu's re-election. However, the growing number of APC chapters rejecting his coalition suggests that his strategy of operating across party lines is creating more problems for the ruling party than it is solving. As the 2027 elections draw closer, the battle over the Rainbow Coalition is shaping up to be one of the defining political battles within the APC, with the party's national leadership and governors determined to ensure that support for its candidates remains total and undivided.
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