2027: APC Governor Aiyedatiwa Backs Wike’s Rainbow Coalition

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has backed the political coalition associated with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Aiyedatiwa said there was nothing wrong with politicians from different parties forming alliances, particularly when such arrangements are built around shared political interests.

The governor made the remarks while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

His position comes amid growing disagreement within the camp of President Bola Tinubu over the Rainbow Coalition and the role it should play in the 2027 elections.

While some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress have rejected the arrangement, Aiyedatiwa said his relationship with Wike should not be interpreted as a departure from the APC.

The Ondo governor made it clear that his political structure in the state remains firmly under the ruling party.

“In my state, it is APC all the way, that does not mean that I don’t have relationship with Wike. I don’t have any problem with Wike,” he said.

Aiyedatiwa stressed that maintaining a political relationship with Wike does not prevent him from remaining committed to the APC.

He said political relationships could exist across party lines, adding that politicians often work together when their interests align.

“Politics is about interest, relationships, alliances if you like,” he said.

The governor was responding to questions about Wike’s activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election and the growing controversy surrounding the Rainbow Coalition.

Wike, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Rivers State governor, has been mobilising politicians from different parties in support of President Tinubu’s re-election.

The former Rivers governor has repeatedly explained that the coalition is focused on the presidential election and should not be regarded as an alternative structure of the APC.

Aiyedatiwa similarly argued that there was no reason to condemn a political arrangement simply because it brings together people from different political parties.

“So, Rainbow Coalition being led by His Excellency Honourable Minister Nyesom Wike, there is nothing wrong in having coalition or alliances. It’s all about interests, who wants to be part of that, you choose.”

He further compared the Rainbow Coalition to the various support groups that have emerged across the country to campaign for Tinubu’s second-term bid.

“There is freedom of association of being a member of one group, coalition or another just as we have a lot of support groups supporting the president.

“So, if Rainbow Coalition is also in form of a support group too for the president, what is wrong in that? Nothing.”

The Progressive Governors Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, has previously rejected political arrangements that could weaken the APC or affect the fortunes of its candidates in the elections.

The APC governors had said they would not support or participate in any alliance capable of undermining the party or President Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

The disagreement has largely centred on whether politicians can support Tinubu for president while simultaneously backing candidates from other parties in governorship and legislative elections.

Wike has maintained that such a possibility is part of the freedom available to politicians in a democratic system.

In September, he said the coalition was established to mobilise support for Tinubu across political parties and insisted that it was not an APC structure.

“The coalition is a platform for other political parties that are pleased with the good works of Tinubu and are supporting his re-election.

“It has nothing to do with APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” Wike said.

Wike also argued that supporting Tinubu at the presidential level does not mean that members of the coalition must support APC candidates in every other election.

That position has, however, drawn opposition from several APC leaders and governors.

Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal had earlier challenged Wike to clarify his political allegiance, insisting that the minister could not simultaneously support Tinubu and work with other parties against APC candidates.

The Ondo governor, however, appears to be drawing a distinction between his personal relationship with Wike, the Rainbow Coalition and his formal political allegiance to the APC.

For Aiyedatiwa, the existence of such alliances does not automatically mean that the APC is being weakened.

He maintained that politicians should be free to determine the groups or coalitions they want to associate with, provided their political interests are clear.