FCT MINISTER NYESOM WIKE’S MOBILISATION FOR PRESIDENT TINUBU’S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN TRIGGERS FRESH INTERNAL CRISIS ACROSS PDP STATE CHAPTERS

State executive committees and national leadership reject cross-party "Rainbow Coalition" as friction deepens over anti-party activities ahead of 2027 general elections

The campaign mounted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to secure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 has triggered a fresh wave of internal conflict within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with several state chapters outrightly rejecting his cross-party political alliance.

Wike’s promotion of the self-styled “Rainbow Coalition”, a political arrangement bringing together figures from opposition parties including the PDP, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and factions of the Labour Party to back the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket, has drawn strong pushback from PDP state executives across the country.

Spokespersons and party leaders in multiple states, including Bauchi and Jigawa, have publicly disowned the initiative, insisting that their chapters remain fully intact, loyal to the PDP, and focused on mobilizing votes for opposition candidates at all levels rather than adopting an external presidential flagbearer.

Defending the strategy, Wike argued during a recent media briefing that political support for the presidency transcends conventional party boundaries, maintaining that leading Tinubu's campaign in the FCT and Rivers State does not conflict with sub-national party politics.

However, mainstream PDP leaders and rival political blocs continue to criticize the alignment as blatant anti-party behavior that undermines party discipline, warning that attempts to force cross-party coalitions will diminish opposition influence and weaken party structures ahead of the next electoral cycle.

The growing dispute underscores deepening divisions within Nigeria's main opposition party as party organs grapple with internal dissent and conflicting loyalties in the buildup to the 2027 presidential contest.