RismadarVoice Reporters
September 16, 2026
The growing activities of the National Rainbow Coalition, backed by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have intensified political tensions in Rivers, Kwara, Gombe and Cross River states ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The coalition, which Wike has said is focused on mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, brings together politicians from different parties.
Its activities have, however, created disagreements with APC structures in some states, particularly where coalition members are supporting candidates outside the ruling party.
The development has raised concerns among some APC leaders over the possibility of conflicting campaign interests, as politicians supporting Tinubu at the presidential level could back opposition candidates in governorship and legislative elections.
In Rivers State, the coalition has attracted members from the PDP, APC, Labour Party and other political groups. Its activities became more prominent following the political crisis involving Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who has since moved to the APC.
The coalition has reportedly backed former PDP Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, for the Rivers governorship race, with Major Jack, the Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, selected as his running mate.
The development has also generated concerns among some members of the coalition, particularly over the choice of a candidate outside the riverine area, according to the report.
In Kwara State, the political realignment has involved former APC members and supporters of former Senate President Bukola Saraki working with the PDP structure associated with the coalition.
Among those who have left the APC is Senator Saliu Mustapha, who later secured the PDP ticket for Kwara Central. Another APC chieftain, Kolo Jiya, also defected to the PDP, while two members of the state House of Assembly, Olushola Odetundun and Saba Yisa Gideon, followed suit.
The aggrieved politicians subsequently formed the Otoge Progressives and launched the Kwara chapter of the National Rainbow Coalition on August 26, 2026.
In Gombe, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has moved from the APC to the PDP with the backing of the coalition, according to the report.
Cross River has similarly witnessed political movement involving the PDP and former APC members. The state PDP has a governorship candidate, Arthur Jarvis, alongside candidates for legislative positions, while about 500 APC members were reported to have defected to the opposition party.
The developments have prompted a response from the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum.
Its chairman, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, said after the forum’s meeting in Abuja that APC governors would not support political arrangements that could weaken the party or affect its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Uzodimma said the governors’ campaign activities would remain focused on APC candidates at the presidential, governorship and legislative levels.
Wike, however, has maintained that his support for Tinubu does not prevent other political parties from fielding candidates in elections apart from the presidency.
The FCT minister, through his spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, said the Rainbow Coalition was a cross-party platform established to mobilise support for Tinubu and was not an arrangement with the APC.
Wike also questioned the APC’s performance in parts of the South-East during the 2023 presidential election, challenging the party’s governors over its performance in legislative contests in states including Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu.