RismadarVoice Reporters
September 16, 2026
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has described governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “politically lazy” following their opposition to his proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike commented during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, while responding to the position recently adopted by the APC Governors’ Forum.
The former Rivers State governor said his decision to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election should not be interpreted as an abandonment of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party under which he previously served as governor and remains a member.
He also argued that supporting Tinubu for the presidency does not prevent other political parties from fielding candidates for governorship and legislative elections in 2027.
“They are politically lazy. When you have your local problems, don’t use Mr President as your excuse,” Wike said in response to the APC governors’ position.
The controversy followed a resolution by the Progressive Governors Forum, chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, rejecting political alliances or arrangements that could weaken the APC or affect its candidates during the 2027 elections.
The APC governors said they would not participate in, support or endorse any arrangement capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election bid or adversely affecting APC candidates at any level.
Wike, however, said the governors’ concerns were misplaced because he had never approached the Progressive Governors Forum to establish an alliance with the APC.
He maintained that his political arrangement was aimed primarily at supporting Tinubu’s re-election and was not an attempt to take control of the APC’s structures or prevent other parties from participating in the elections.
“There is no day I went to the Governors’ Forum to align with any Rainbow Coalition,” Wike said, according to a report by Arise News. He added that he had never sat down with the APC governors to negotiate such an arrangement.
Wike further argued that the disagreements surrounding his political activities did not begin with his decision to support Tinubu.
According to him, he encountered opposition from some political actors while serving as Rivers State governor and later after he was appointed FCT minister.
“This thing did not start today. It started at a ministerial position. They were not happy that I was Minister of FCT. Also, they were unhappy when I was governor,” he said.
The FCT minister also claimed that some of his critics did not have access to the information available to him, suggesting that a fuller understanding of the political circumstances would give them a different perspective on his actions.
Wike has repeatedly maintained that President Tinubu is aware of his political activities and his efforts to mobilise support for the President’s second-term bid.
In a separate interview, he said the President was fully aware of the Rainbow Coalition and insisted that he was not answerable to APC governors regarding his political activities.
The dispute has highlighted differences over whether support for Tinubu at the presidential level should also translate into support for APC candidates contesting governorship and legislative seats.
Wike has argued that politicians can support a presidential candidate while retaining their party identities and backing candidates from other parties in other contests. He has pointed to examples of politicians across party lines who have expressed support for Tinubu while remaining members of their respective parties.
The APC governors, on the other hand, have maintained that their primary responsibility is to protect the party’s political structure and candidates. Their September 15 resolution specifically rejected alliances they believe could weaken the APC or create divided political loyalties.
The disagreement comes as political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 elections. Wike, despite remaining associated with the PDP, has become an outspoken supporter of Tinubu’s re-election and continues to defend the idea of a broad political coalition cutting across party lines.
The minister has also said that his support for Tinubu does not amount to a commitment to join the APC. He recently clarified that he promised only to support the President’s re-election and never promised Tinubu that he would defect to the ruling party.