Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has challenged Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to clarify his political allegiance ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying he cannot simultaneously support the All Progressives Congress (APC) and candidates from other political parties.
Lawal made the remarks in an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. His comments came amid growing disagreement between APC governors and Wike over the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform associated with efforts to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
Lawal tells Wike to make his position clear
The Zamfara governor said the position of APC governors on the issue remained unchanged, arguing that political actors should not operate on two sides ahead of the elections.
“Our message is very clear, be on one side, you can’t be on two sides,” Lawal said, adding that anyone supporting APC should openly back the party rather than simultaneously supporting other political parties.
Lawal further stated that the APC governors would maintain their position regardless of Wike’s comments about the coalition.
“Our position has been very clear, APC all the way from head to toe,” he said.
Asked whether the governors were effectively asking Wike to join the APC, Lawal responded in the affirmative.
He also said he intended to discuss Wike’s political position with President Bola Tinubu when the President returns from his working vacation abroad.
“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,” Lawal said.
APC governors reject cross-party arrangement
The dispute follows a position announced by the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), the umbrella organisation of APC governors.
The forum said in September that its members would not participate in, support or endorse political arrangements that could undermine Tinubu’s re-election, weaken the APC or adversely affect the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections.
PGF Chairman and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma said the governors would campaign for Tinubu as well as APC candidates at other levels of the election.
That position has put the APC governors at odds with Wike’s approach to the Rainbow Coalition.
Wike says coalition is separate from APC
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has repeatedly said that his support for Tinubu’s presidential re-election does not mean that the PDP or other political parties involved in the coalition must abandon their own candidates in governorship and legislative elections.
In a statement issued through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, Wike said the Rainbow Coalition has no affiliation with the APC and was created to mobilise support for Tinubu across political parties.
He has also argued that voters can support one candidate for president while choosing candidates from other parties in governorship and legislative elections.
Wike previously defended the coalition by pointing to the 2023 elections, when members of the then G5 governors supported Tinubu’s presidential bid while candidates from their respective parties continued to contest other positions. He has argued that the same distinction could apply in 2027.
Disagreement widens ahead of 2027
The disagreement between Wike and some APC governors has become increasingly public in the weeks leading up to the 2027 elections.
Wike has alleged that opposition from some APC governors is partly connected to concerns over control of the National Assembly and the emergence of its leadership after the elections. The governors, however, have publicly framed their objection around protecting APC candidates and preventing political arrangements that could create divided loyalties within the party. These are competing political explanations, and neither should be treated as an independently established motive.
The Rainbow Coalition itself remains a cross-party political platform rather than a formal APC structure. Wike has maintained that its central objective is supporting Tinubu’s presidential bid while allowing participating politicians to retain their separate party affiliations and pursue candidates in other contests.
Lawal’s latest comments underline the growing tension between that approach and the position of APC governors, who say their campaign commitment extends to the party’s candidates across the 2027 electoral contests.
The disagreement is expected to remain an important issue as political parties and alliances prepare for the 2027 elections.