Onoh asks Wike to join APC or step aside

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Says ‘Rainbow Coalition’ threatens APC’s 2027 chances

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By Dennis Agbo

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ABUJA — Former South-East spokesman to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has urged Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to formally join the All Progressives Congress, APC, or step aside from the party’s affairs.

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Onoh, who is also Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, described the political alignment being promoted by Wike as a “Rainbow Coalition” and warned that it could undermine the APC ahead of the 2027 general election.

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In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, Onoh described the coalition as a “Trojan horse” capable of creating divisions within the ruling party.

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He said: “This so-called ‘Rainbow Coalition’ is a toxic distraction, a political mirage, and a well-calculated vehicle for personal ambition that will ultimately undermine the All Progressives Congress and jeopardise the presidential election if left unchecked.”

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According to Onoh, the coalition did not represent a unified political bloc capable of delivering significant votes to President Tinubu outside Rivers State.

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He argued that Wike’s political influence was largely concentrated in Rivers State and questioned attempts to replicate what he described as a “fractured blueprint” across other geopolitical zones.

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‘Rainbow Coalition not 2023 G5’

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Onoh also rejected comparisons between the current political alignment and the G5 governors’ alliance that emerged ahead of the 2023 elections.

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He said the G5 was built around regional equity and involved five serving governors with control of state political structures.

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Onoh recalled his involvement in efforts to promote the APC in the South-East while working with former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, saying the political realignments came at a cost to some of the actors involved.

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He said the current coalition lacked the institutional and electoral structures associated with the G5.

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“Today, Wike’s new ‘Rainbow Coalition’ has completely crumbled from that standard. It is not an alliance of powerful state executives; it is a desperate collection of political castaways, disgruntled ex-office holders, and floating political contractors who hold no real electoral value in their own political wards,” he said.

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Onoh said attempts to use such a structure to influence the 2027 election could be counterproductive.

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Attacks on APC governors

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Reacting to Wike’s recent political disagreements with Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Onoh described the disputes as a “diversionary tactic.”

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He alleged that Wike was creating political tension in the North-Central and South-East as part of an attempt to weaken APC structures.

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“By attacking highly respected APC governors who are the authentic custodians of the party’s grassroots votes, Wike is actively sowing the same seeds of discord that he used to tear the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) apart,” Onoh said.

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He alleged that Wike was attempting to influence the APC from within using what he described as the same political strategy that contributed to divisions in the PDP.

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Onoh warns against ‘split-ticket’ voting

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Onoh also criticised what he described as the promotion of cross-party voting, warning that such a strategy could weaken the APC’s parliamentary strength.

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He argued that presidential and National Assembly elections were held concurrently and that encouraging voters to support the APC at the presidential level while backing opposition candidates in legislative contests could affect the party’s ability to secure a majority.

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“We cannot exchange a robust, organic party victory for a transactional arrangement,” he said.

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Onoh cited the 2023 elections in Enugu State as an example, claiming that efforts to combine support for different parties at presidential and senatorial levels contributed to losses for the PDP.

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He urged APC stakeholders to reject what he described as an attempt to create a parallel political structure within the ruling party.

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‘Wike must choose’

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Onoh called on Wike to make a clear political choice, arguing that the minister could not maintain what he described as dual political allegiance while seeking to influence the APC’s internal affairs.

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“Nigeria’s political space has no room for double agents, political rent-collectors, or part-time allegiance,” he said.

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“You cannot have one foot in the PDP, keep the other foot floating in a vague coalition, and expect to dictate the fortunes and internal architecture of the APC.

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“Our position is simple: either Nyesom Wike fully, formally and unconditionally registers as a card-carrying member of the APC at his political ward, or he must step aside immediately.”

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Onoh said the APC had the structures and grassroots support required to deliver Tinubu across the 36 states without what he described as Wike’s “damaging, self-serving distractions.”

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