The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dared governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to challenge him directly over his Rainbow Coalition.

According to the minister, the political platform has come to stay despite opposition from some members of the ruling party.

Wike made the declaration on Tuesday during a media parley with selected journalists in Abuja.

In the media chat, he defended his decision to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 while remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The former Rivers State governor maintained that his political commitment was to support Tinubu’s second-term ambition and not to fulfil any agreement with APC governors.

He also dismissed suggestions that he had approached governors for political favours, challenging anyone with grievances against him to confront him directly rather than attack the Rainbow Coalition.

“What I’ve said to Nigerians and to Almighty God is, ‘I’m going to support Tinubu for him to realise his second-term ambition.’ I did not promise any governor. And two, let me tell you, no governor can say Wike has come to him for this and this,” the minister said.
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Wike explained that his political decisions were based on his personal convictions and relationships rather than an obligation to the governors who belong to the APC.

He cited his support for some APC candidates despite his membership of the PDP, arguing that his political activities should not be misrepresented as attempts to undermine the ruling party.

“Some of the governors there, I supported him, but I gave this example now about Hope [Uzodimma of Imo State], so you know that people cannot just come and accuse you. I don’t do that,” he said.

The minister subsequently insisted that criticism of the Rainbow Coalition would not make him abandon the initiative.

“If you have any problem with me, come out back and face Wike. Don’t go on under the Rainbow Coalition,” he stated.

“For the Rainbow Coalition, it has come. It will stay. There’s nothing anybody can do about it.”

The declaration comes amid growing disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over the political platform, which seeks to bring together supporters of Tinubu from different parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Although Wike remains a member of the PDP, he has repeatedly declared his support for Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that the president’s ambition can attract support beyond the APC.

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The minister has maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is not intended to replace the ruling party or weaken its electoral chances. Instead, he has presented it as a platform through which APC members and Tinubu supporters from other political parties can work towards a common objective.

According to Wike, the arrangement recognises that political support for the president is not limited to members of the APC and that individuals can cooperate across party lines to achieve a shared electoral goal.

His position, however, has drawn criticism from some APC governors, who insist that political leaders supporting Tinubu should openly identify with the ruling party rather than maintain affiliations with opposition parties while working towards the president’s re-election.

Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal recently restated the governors’ position, arguing that Wike should choose between remaining in the PDP and supporting the APC.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Lawal said the ruling party expected political figures working for its success to demonstrate clear allegiance to the APC.

“Our message is very very clear: be on one side. You can’t be on two sides. If you are in APC, please come out and support the APC, not you are supporting APC here, and you are supporting some other political parties somewhere else,” the governor said.

Lawal added that the governors would not change their position regardless of Wike’s response to their criticism.

“We maintain our stand, and the message is very clear. He can speak; he can say whatever he wants to say, but our position has been very clear: APC all the way from head to toe,” he said.

In September, the APC Governors’ Forum rejected political alliances that could undermine the party, its candidates or Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

The governors announced their position after a closed-door meeting in Abuja, where they discussed the need to protect the party’s interests at all levels ahead of the elections.

The forum’s chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, said the governors remained committed to strengthening the APC and ensuring that its candidates received the support required to win elections.