ZANFARA State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to clearly define his political allegiance over his involvement with the Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been associated with the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. However, the development has drawn opposition from APC governors, who say they intend to support Tinubu and candidates contesting under the APC platform.
News Point Nigeria reports that Lawal, speaking in an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, said Wike could not simultaneously support the APC and other political parties, insisting that he must choose where his political allegiance lies.
“Our message is very, very clear, be on one side, you can’t be on two sides. If you are in APC, please come out and support the APC, not you are supporting APC here and you are supporting some other political parties somewhere else,” he said.
Lawal maintained that APC governors would not alter their position despite Wike’s continued defence of the Rainbow Coalition and his support for Tinubu’s re-election.
“We maintain our stand and the message is very clear. He can speak, he can say whatever he wants to say, but our position has been very clear, APC all the way from head to toe,” the governor said.
Asked whether the position of the APC governors amounted to a demand that Wike join the ruling party, Lawal replied, “Exactly.”
The Zamfara governor also disclosed that he would discuss Wike’s political position with President Tinubu when the President returns from his working vacation in France.
“It’s something I will discuss with the President when he comes back. Let there be a clear line where this guy belongs to. It’s either he is in APC or he is out, simple. So I go with my brothers, the governors,” Lawal said.
The comments followed the Progressive Governors Forum’s (PGF) rejection of political alliances or arrangements that it believes could undermine the APC or its candidates in the 2027 elections. The forum has said its members would support Tinubu as well as APC candidates at all levels.
Wike, however, has repeatedly maintained that his support for Tinubu’s re-election does not amount to an agreement with the APC or prevent other political parties from fielding candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Monday, September 21, after inspecting ongoing road projects in the FCT, Wike reaffirmed that securing Tinubu’s re-election remains his major political priority. He also rejected allegations that the Rainbow Coalition was established to destabilise existing political parties.
The FCT Minister has argued that members of different political parties can support Tinubu for the presidency while retaining their respective party identities and backing candidates in other elections. He has specifically maintained that the PDP remains free to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
Wike has also been associated with PDP candidates in the 2027 elections in states including Imo and Kwara, a development that has further fuelled the disagreement over whether support for Tinubu can coexist with support for candidates of other parties.
The disagreement between Wike and some APC governors has therefore centred on whether the Rainbow Coalition should operate alongside the APC’s campaign structure while its members retain affiliations with other political parties. Wike maintains that the coalition is focused on mobilising support for Tinubu, while the APC governors insist on a unified campaign structure centred on the party and its candidates.