A former South-East spokesman for President Bola Tinubu, Denge Onoh, has attributed the growing disagreement between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and several governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress to the minister’s long history of political alliances and confrontations.
Onoh made the claim in a statement released on Thursday in reaction to Wike’s recent comments concerning his political activities and the emerging Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The former presidential campaign spokesman said APC governors were increasingly concerned about Wike’s political activities because of what he described as the minister’s continued influence over political structures outside the APC.
According to Onoh, Wike’s political network has remained connected to the Peoples Democratic Party despite his current position as a minister in the APC-led Federal Government. He argued that this has created concerns within the ruling party, particularly as political actors begin positioning themselves for the 2027 elections.
Onoh pointed to the political structure associated with Wike, claiming that it previously fielded hundreds of candidates for legislative elections and governorship contests under the PDP. He said the development had contributed to the present friction between Wike and some APC governors whose political interests could be affected by candidates supported by rival political structures.
The former spokesman also referenced Wike’s political history in Rivers State, where he served as chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area before becoming Chief of Staff to former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and later serving as Minister of State for Education under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Onoh argued that Wike’s involvement in successive political battles had established a pattern in which he became an influential player in disputes between political camps. He particularly cited the political conflict between Amaechi and the Jonathan administration, during which Wike became a prominent figure in the struggle.
He further referred to the 2022 PDP presidential primary and the events that followed the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate. Wike subsequently became one of the leaders of the G5 Governors, who opposed Atiku’s campaign over demands relating to party leadership and power rotation.
The latest disagreement, however, is centred on Wike’s Rainbow Coalition and its activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike has maintained that his support for President Tinubu does not require him to abandon the PDP or prevent opposition parties from fielding candidates in other elections. During an interview with Arise TV, the minister described some APC governors as “politically lazy” for opposing his political activities.
The APC governors, led by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, have taken a different position. The governors said they would not support any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election bid or weakening APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
Wike, however, has argued that the Rainbow Coalition is not an APC organisation but rather a political platform designed to mobilise support for Tinubu across party lines.
Onoh said this position creates a potential problem for the APC because politicians supported by Wike’s network could challenge sitting APC governors and other party candidates in legislative and governorship elections.
He also linked the disagreement to longer-term political calculations surrounding the 2031 elections. According to Onoh, some political actors are already positioning themselves for future leadership opportunities even though the immediate focus is the 2027 election.
Recent reporting by The PUNCH similarly identified tensions between Wike and some APC governors over political influence, the Rainbow Coalition and competing interests ahead of the 2027 elections. The report said some APC sources believed the dispute was also connected to ambitions surrounding the 2031 presidency and vice-presidential contest.
Onoh further urged President Tinubu to carefully manage the relationship between Wike and the APC governors, arguing that continued disagreement could create difficulties for the ruling party’s internal cohesion.
He questioned whether the presidency could simultaneously accommodate Wike’s independent political activities and maintain the loyalty of APC governors responsible for controlling the party’s structures across their respective states.
The controversy comes at a time when political parties and influential political actors are increasingly reorganising ahead of the 2027 general elections. The emergence of cross-party alliances and political support groups has added another layer to the contest, with politicians seeking to build structures beyond their traditional party bases.
While Onoh’s comments represent his interpretation of the dispute, Wike has presented his own explanation, insisting that his political activities should not be interpreted as opposition to Tinubu. He has maintained that supporting the President’s re-election and allowing other political parties to contest state and legislative elections are not mutually exclusive.
The disagreement therefore reflects competing interpretations of political loyalty, party structures and cross-party alliances as Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections.
