2027 Election: New Twist as Cracks Emerge in Wike’s Pro-Tinubu Rainbow Coalition, Details Emerge
- Labour Party chieftains in Rivers State have distanced themselves from Wike's Rainbow Coalition, questioning who truly represents the party in the alliance
- A political analyst criticised the coalition for favouring only one ethnic group, raising concerns about its claim to inclusivity
- APC leaders across the South-East have formally rejected the coalition, warning it could undermine the party's grassroots structure ahead of the 2027 general elections
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), formed the 'Rainbow Coalition' to rally multi-party support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
However, Daily Trust reported on Friday, September 18, 2026, that the coalition is facing growing opposition within and outside Rivers State, with some Labour Party (LP) figures and South-East All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders distancing themselves from the arrangement.
Source: Facebook
Labour Party rejects coalition's claim to membership
Senior Labour Party figures in Rivers State have accused the coalition of dealing with people who are members of a labour union rather than the Labour Party itself. Former South-South Zonal Vice Chairman of the LP, Favour Reuben, said he has no connection to the coalition and alleged that the LP governorship candidate recognised by the alliance is actually a Peoples Democratic Party member.
Political analyst and Ogoni rights activist Celestine Akpobari went further, describing the arrangement as non-inclusive and ethnically skewed.
"I have never seen a rainbow with one colour. APC chairman is Ikwerre, PDP chairman is Ikwerre, governorship candidates of APC, PDP and Labour are all Ikwerre. Where is the rainbow?" he said.
Akpobari argued that if power shifts away from Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who comes from Rivers South-East, it should go to the Ogoni people, who have never produced a governor, deputy governor, Speaker, or Chief Judge in the state.
"A rainbow coalition cannot have one colour," he added, calling the situation a form of dictatorship.
Despite the criticism, a Rivers APC chieftain who spoke anonymously defended the coalition's reach, saying all local government chairmen and ward councillors are part of the alliance and that Fubara himself has returned to it.
Source: UGC
Former Ijaw Youth Council president and 2023 LP governorship candidate in Bayelsa, Udengs Eradiri, also backed the coalition, saying it spans political interests and strengthens Tinubu's re-election prospects.
Eradiri said:
"Wike and his Rainbow Coalition should be seen as an added advantage to Tinubu's re-election because it was formed solely to work for Mr President and not to advance the interest of any governor."
South-east APC leaders push back
Resistance to the coalition is not limited to Rivers State. APC leadership across the South-East, in a joint statement signed by Ijeomah Arodiogbu, the party's National Vice Chairman for the zone, alongside state chairmen from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo, expressed full support for the Progressive Governors' Forum's resolution to back only APC candidates in 2027.
The statement strongly rejected what the leaders called a "rainbow (chameleon) coalition," warning the party structure in the South-East would resist any outside effort to weaken its base. The executives also defended the region's governors, noting they had delivered visible development in their states and helped secure more than 25 per cent of the presidential vote in 2023.
Read more on Wike
- Wike vs Fubara: Governor's top ally speaks on Rivers politician contesting against Tinubu in 2027
- Tensions grow in Rivers as Wike, Fubara’s supporters clash, baby hurt, details emerge
- Rivers crisis thickens as pro-Wike, Fubara lawmakers hold parallel sittings
Wike vows to raise opposition's blood pressure
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Wike said his mission ahead of the 2027 elections is to ensure that opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi, remain politically unsettled and under pressure.
The FCT minister insisted there is currently no credible, organised opposition in Nigeria, saying internal divisions within the PDP had left the political landscape without a clear frontrunner to challenge President Tinubu.
Source: Legit.ng
