Abuja, Nigeria — The All Progressives Congress (APC) Grassroots Organisation has sharply criticized the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) for its silence regarding moves it describes as polarizing APC governors. In a statement signed by chairman Mukhtar Tanimu Rabiu, the group warned that Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, must not be allowed to "balkanize" the ruling party through his proposed Rainbow Coalition.
The organization accused Wike of replicating tactics he previously used within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alleging that he utilized "lackeys from Kano and Edo states" to destroy PDP organs. The APC Grassroots Organisation stated that despite the APC governors' refusal to be polarized, the NWC, led by National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has remained mute while Wike intensifies efforts to undermine the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF).
Disputing the narrative that Wike’s former PDP G-5 alliance was an indispensable electoral machine for President Bola Tinubu in 2023, the group cited election results from the five states associated with that alliance. It noted that three members of the then G-5—Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, and Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom—lost their respective senatorial elections in 2023. The only member of the defunct G-5 to win democratically in that race was Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who had broken ranks with Wike.
Support President Tinubu. But do not expect APC governors to surrender their governors, senators, House members, Assembly candidates or party structures to Wike’s faction of the PDP.
The statement further argued that Wike’s admission that the Rainbow Coalition is not an official APC structure signals a potential conflict of interest. The group warned that the coalition should not function as a parallel party structure or an alternative to the APC’s elected governors and formal bodies. It cautioned that Wike’s push for the coalition could inadvertently derail President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid by introducing competing political interests in states where APC governors are expected to campaign for the party’s candidates.
Highlighting the party’s existing infrastructure, the organization pointed to the APC’s control of 31 of Nigeria’s 36 states, arguing that this extensive network is sufficient for organizing the President’s campaign. The group also questioned Wike’s commitment to his coalition, noting that he had pleaded with APC leadership to field his preferred candidate, Kingsley Chinda, as the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate in Rivers State, rather than running him under the PDP banner.
This intervention comes amid growing tensions between Wike and APC governors over the coalition. The APC Governors’ Forum recently stated that its members would not support any political arrangement capable of weakening the APC or adversely affecting its candidates. The Grassroots Organisation emphasized that while it welcomes Wike’s support for the President, such support must not come at the expense of the party’s established structures and unity.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
