…Accuse FCT minister of undermining party candidates
By Abraham Ovuba
The Forum of APC State Chairmen has rejected the proposed Rainbow Coalition associated with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, insisting that it must not undermine the party’s structures and candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a communiqué issued after their recent annual retreat in Maiduguri, Borno State, the chairmen asked Wike to align with the APC-led Federal Government or resign as minister.
The forum described the APC as a constitutionally structured party, not a platform for “political experimentation,” insisting that no individual should weaken its structures.
“We unequivocally reject and disassociate the party from the so-called Rainbow Coalition,” they declared.
The chairmen said Wike could not claim to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while backing political arrangements and candidates outside the APC.
“He cannot strengthen the roof while weakening its pillars,” they said.
They also condemned what they described as Wike’s targeting of APC candidates and leaders, insisting that political differences should be resolved through democratic structures.
The forum called on President Tinubu, as APC leader, to protect the party’s unity and structures and, if necessary, ask Wike to resign as FCT Minister.
Wike has maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is a separate, multi-party platform supporting Tinubu’s 2027 re-election and has no affiliation with the APC.
The APC chairmen, however, described their position as “final and unambiguous,” declaring: “The APC is one. The APC is organised. The APC is stronger than any individual political project.”
The communiqué was signed by the Forum of APC State Chairmen, comprising the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
