APC State Chairmen Split Over Prospect of Working with Wike as Tinubu Moves to Broker Peace

By: Tunji Okunlola

State chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are divided over whether to work with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as President Bola Tinubu moves to resolve the standoff between the minister and party leaders ahead of the 2027 elections.

While 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, the cross-party platform he has been promoting, had no place in their domains.

The split stems from disagreement over Wike’s continued membership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while serving in the APC-led Federal Government. His promotion of the Rainbow Coalition, which he has described as aimed at mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election, has also put him at odds with APC governors. Wike has maintained that his support for Tinubu does not prevent the PDP from fielding its own candidates in governorship and legislative elections, but that position has drawn resistance from party leaders who say they will not back political arrangements capable of weakening the ruling party or its candidates in 2027.

States Open to Working with Wike

In Plateau State, APC Chairman Rufus Bature said the party was ready to work with anybody within the APC, including Wike, if peace were brokered, but insisted the minister could not simultaneously identify with two rival 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.

In Jigawa State, the APC welcomed Wike’s support for Tinubu outright. Publicity Secretary Bashir Kundu said the party appreciated the minister’s contribution to Tinubu’s 2027 campaign and was ready to work with anyone backing 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 said he would defer to whatever decision the party’s national secretariat reached. “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 Nasarawa State, the APC went further, urging Wike to join the ruling party outright and abandon the Rainbow Coalition, while commending his support for Tinubu’s re-election bid. State Publicity Secretary Augustine Ogaba told Sunday PUNCH in Lafia that the party did not recognise political coalitions outside its own 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 state chapter would welcome Wike into the APC.

States Taking a Cautious or Non-Committal Stance

In Bauchi State, APC Chairman Muhammad Tilde was more guarded, saying he could not unilaterally decide whether the state chapter would work with Wike even if the President succeeded in brokering peace, noting that the matter would require consultation with other state chairmen and stakeholders before a collective decision could be reached.

In Benue State, APC Chairman Benjamin Omale said the party had not yet received any invitation from the Presidency regarding the proposed reconciliation, and that the state chapter would take a collective position if approached. He added that the party remained focused on a unity movement backing both Governor Hyacinth Alia and President Tinubu for 2027.

In Taraba State, the APC said its immediate priority remained strengthening the party and supporting Tinubu, adding that the chapter would operate within whatever framework the President and party organs eventually agreed upon.

In Imo State, Publicity Secretary Jones Onwuasoanya expressed doubt that Tinubu would bypass governors to engage state chairmen directly, stressing that the party operates through established leadership structures. “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 said.

In Oyo State, Publicity Secretary Olawale Sadare declined to comment, describing the matter as sensitive.

States Distancing Themselves from the Coalition

In Sokoto and Kebbi states, 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 since no APC member there belonged to the coalition, 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 there. The faction’s Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, said it had yet to determine whether it would work with Wike even if Tinubu brokered peace.

Kwara: A Further Layer of Division

Kwara State presented an additional complication: state Chairman Sunday Fagbemi declined to respond to enquiries about the reported peace initiative, while party chieftain Abdul-Rahoof Labelabe said the G15, now rebranded as the OTOGE Progressives, had already begun working with Wike’s coalition in support of Tinubu.

With APC state chairmen divided along these lines, the proposed reconciliation could prove decisive in determining how the ruling party balances Wike’s cross-party mobilisation efforts with the interests of its own candidates heading into 2027.