The internal hierarchy of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been thrown into a state of acute disquiet following a series of swift political moves by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that effectively sidelined the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and entrenched non-party allies in critical strategic structures.
At the center of the growing storm is the high-profile adoption of the cross-party “Rainbow Coalition,” led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. By granting immense campaign authority to figures outside the traditional party fold, the President appears to have openly rejected the firm stances of his own governors and party stalwarts, leaving many to question who truly holds the levers of power within the ruling establishment.
The genesis of this confrontation can be traced back to a period when President Tinubu was briefy out of the country. Taking advantage of his absence, the Progressive Governors Forum, under the leadership of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and supported by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, sought to reassert internal control. The governors launched a concerted campaign against Wike’s burgeoning coalition, arguing that maintaining a multi-party political vehicle was fundamentally anti-party and directly violated the APC constitution. The forum’s position was unambiguous: if Wike and his allies wished to steer the presidential project, they ought to formally defect to the APC rather than operating as a cross-party entity that undermines party discipline and local party chapters.
Upon his return to the country, President Tinubu was confronted with detailed arguments and high-level lobbying from the governors and party leaders who expected the presidency to enforce party supremacy. Instead, the President completely disregarded the governors’ positions, choosing rather to double down on his faith in Wike’s pragmatic delivery.
The shockwaves from this decision reverberated across the political landscape when the revised 2027 APC Presidential Campaign Council list was officially released. In a development that stunned many party faithfuls, the council appointed Wike to coordinate campaign operations in both Rivers State and the FCT, while opposition figures like Governor Chukwuma Soludo of APGA and Governor Ademola Adeleke were designated to coordinate activities in Anambra and Osun states, respectively.
This dramatic alteration of the campaign structure delivered a major direct blow to Governor Uzodimma and the broader Governors Forum. For Uzodimma, who is currently serving as governor while eyeing a return to the Senate with explicit ambitions of competing for the Senate Presidency in the 11th Assembly, potentially seeking to succeed incumbent Godswill Akpabio post-2027, the rise of an autonomous cross-party coalition poses a serious threat to his long-term legislative leverage and regional authority.
Observers note that key figures within the presidency and party hierarchy have actively backed Wike behind the scenes, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and influential elements inside the Aso Rock establishment and the APC National Secretariat. Their backing, paired with the President’s personal affinity for Wike’s track record of keeping political agreements and executing complex campaigns, effectively sealed the fate of the governors’ resistance.
The adoption of the Rainbow Coalition raises fundamental questions regarding party constitutionality and the protection of APC candidates nationwide. A core argument from party loyalists centers on the reality that members of the Rainbow Coalition are fielding their own candidates under opposition platforms for various offices, particularly for the National Assembly.
This creates a deep paradox: while President Tinubu embraces opposition commanders to secure his presidential re-election, he simultaneously leaves APC’s own candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives, and state houses of assembly to fight against Wike-backed opposition candidates. The question remains whether the President is inadvertently sacrificing the institutional strength of his party for a strictly presidential coalition strategy.
Despite the growing tension, some APC governors have publicly downplayed the friction in recent days, insisting that they harbor no personal animosity toward Wike. However, off the record, many governors admit that they saw this power shift coming, which was precisely why they attempted to nip the coalition in the bud.
With the coalition candidates fully prepared to contest every inch of political territory in the 2027 elections, standard APC candidates face an unprecedented internal hurdle. Deprived of the presidency’s full endorsement at the state level, the Governors Forum and aggrieved party figures now face limited options: either submit silently to the new order, build parallel grassroots networks to protect their loyalists, or engage in a fierce political duel to salvage party supremacy as the battle lines are officially drawn.
