The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed reports of a rift between its governors and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the Rainbow coalition supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Felix Morka, APC spokesperson, described the perceived disagreement as a “false battle.”
He insisted that the party’s governors and Wike were united in their commitment to Tinubu’s second-term bid.
Morka spoke on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television’s News Day, following Wike’s appointment as campaign coordinator for Tinubu in Rivers State and the FCT in the revised APC Presidential Campaign Council list for the 2027 general elections.
“It was a false battle to begin with. I mean, I don’t think there was any real tension between those positions because they united in their extraordinary commitment to the re-election of the president,” Morka said.
He explained that members of the Progressive Governors Forum were elected on the APC platform, while Wike, a former Rivers State governor, was a member of Tinubu’s cabinet and an outspoken supporter of the president.
According to Morka, their shared interest in Tinubu’s re-election made reports of a disagreement between them largely insignificant.
He also cited the inclusion of politicians from outside the APC in the presidential campaign council as evidence of Tinubu’s ability to attract support across party lines.
“Governors, who are not of the APC, now [are] front and centre, coordinating some of our activities in their respective jurisdictions,” he said.
Morka described the development as a new phase in Nigeria’s democratic politics, arguing that Tinubu was bringing politicians from different parties together to pursue a common objective.
“What we’re witnessing today in our country is novel. It’s really a new dawn for democracy,” he said.
The APC spokesperson added that the coalition reflected an effort to move beyond partisan differences and mobilise broader support for the president’s administration and re-election campaign.
His comments followed Wike’s defence of the Rainbow Coalition, which the minister said was designed to strengthen Tinubu’s electoral chances rather than undermine the ruling party.
Speaking during a media parley in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike dismissed concerns that the coalition could create divisions within the APC, insisting that support for Tinubu’s re-election should extend beyond the party’s membership.
Wike, who coordinates the coalition’s activities in Rivers State and the FCT, said the arrangement accommodated APC members and supporters of the president from other political parties.
“If you see that word, PBT/APC, it means those who are supporting the president who are not members of the party, together with the party, are working together to achieve that purpose,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions that the coalition had unsettled APC governors or could encourage defections from the ruling party.
“I don’t know what concerns there are. As far as I am concerned, there is no problem,” he added.
However, the coalition has emerged amid concerns within the APC over political arrangements that could weaken the party’s candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
In September, the APC Governors’ Forum rejected alliances capable of undermining the party or Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The governors announced their position after a closed-door meeting in Abuja amid growing political activities surrounding Wike and his Rainbow Coalition.
Hope Uzodimma, Governor of Imo State and chairman of the forum, said the governors would not support arrangements that could create divided loyalty within the ruling party.
