State chairmen of the All Progressives Congress are divided over the prospect of working with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as President Bola Tinubu moves to resolve the disagreement between the minister and party leaders ahead of the 2027 elections.
While some chairmen in 14 states said they would work with Wike if he formally joined the APC or if the party’s national leadership reached an agreement with him, others insisted that the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by the minister had no place in their domains.
The differing positions followed disagreement over Wike’s continued membership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party while serving in the APC-led Federal Government.
His promotion of the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party platform he said was aimed at mobilising support for President Tinubu’s re-election, also pitched him against APC governors.
Wike has maintained that his support for Tinubu does not prevent the PDP from fielding candidates in governorship and legislative elections.
His position has, however, faced resistance from party leaders who stated they would not support political arrangements capable of weakening the ruling party or its candidates in the 2027 general elections.
In Plateau State, APC Chairman Rufus Bature said the party was ready to work with anybody in the APC, including Wike, if peace was brokered.
He, however, insisted that the minister could not simultaneously identify with two rival political parties.
“If he wants to join the APC, he is free to do that because we don’t stop people from joining our party. But he cannot be APC in the morning and PDP in the night. We won’t allow that,” Bature said.
The Jigawa APC Publicity Secretary, Bashir Kundu, said the party appreciated the minister’s contribution to Tinubu’s 2027 campaign and was ready to work with anyone supporting the President.
Similarly, Gombe State APC Chairman, Mohammed Dantata, said anyone willing to join the party would be welcomed, while Zamfara State APC Chairman, Kabiru Moyi, stated that he would abide by whatever decision was reached by the party’s national secretariat.
“If the National Secretariat of our great party is ready to align with him for the success of the party, I have nothing to say but to accept the decision,” Moyi said.
In Bauchi State, the APC Chairman Muhammad Tilde took a more cautious stance, stating that he could not independently decide whether the state chapter would work with Wike even if the President succeeded in brokering peace.
According to him, the issue will require consultations with other state chairmen and stakeholders before a collective decision could be reached.
Kwara presented another layer of division, as the state Chairman, Sunday Fagbemi, declined response to enquiries on the reported peace initiative, while party chieftain Abdul-Rahoof Labelabe stated that the G15, now known as the OTOGE Progressives, had already begun working with Wike’s coalition to support Tinubu.
In Benue State, APC Chairman Benjamin Omale said the party had yet to receive an invitation from the Presidency over the proposed reconciliation, stressing that the state chapter would take a collective position if approached.
Omale said the party remained focused on a unity movement backing both Governor Hyacinth Alia and President Tinubu for 2027.
The divisions were also evident in Sokoto and Kebbi states, where the local APC chapters denied having any structure or arrangement linked to the Rainbow Coalition.
Sokoto APC Chairman Haruna Adiya said the state had no issue to resolve with the coalition because no APC member there belonged to it, while the Kebbi State chapter said it recognised only its internal Tinubu/Kauran Gwandu support structure.
In Rivers State, where Wike’s political structure remains contentious, the APC faction led by Emeka Beke argued that the minister should not be allowed to undermine the party’s existing structure.
The faction’s Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, said they had yet to determine whether they would work with Wike if Tinubu brokered peace.
In Taraba State, the APC stated that its immediate priority remained strengthening the party and supporting Tinubu, adding that the chapter would work within any framework agreed upon by the President and party organs.
In Nasarawa State, the APC urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to join the ruling party and abandon the Rainbow Coalition, while commending his support for President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
The state APC Publicity Secretary, Augustine Ogaba, said in Lafia that the party did not support political coalitions outside its recognised structure.
“As APC members, we do not approve of any coalition that is not recognised or supported by our party’s leadership,” he said, adding that the chapter would welcome Wike into the APC.
In Imo State, the APC Publicity Secretary, Jones Onwuasoanya, expressed doubt that President Tinubu would bypass governors to intervene directly with state chairmen.
Onwuasoanya said the APC operated through established leadership structures, adding that state chapters were bound by the party’s constitution and leadership directives.
“There are channels of communication within the party, and the party at the state level will always abide by the Constitution of the party and the guidance of our leaders, especially the Commander-in-Chief. We believe he would always consult with the governors before taking decisions that affect the party at local levels,” he added.
In Oyo State, the party Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, declined to comment, describing the matter as sensitive.
With APC state chairmen divided, the proposed reconciliation could determine how the ruling party balances Wike’s cross-party mobilisation with the interests of its own candidates in 2027.
Punch