Former Ekiti State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Ayo Fayose, has weighed in on the growing disagreement between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Fayose said the disagreement over Wike’s proposed Rainbow Coalition should be viewed as a clash of political interests rather than a fundamental disagreement over support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Fayose said both Wike and the APC governors had expressed support for Tinubu, although they differed on how that support should be organised.
The controversy intensified after the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, rejected political arrangements that could weaken APC candidates at different levels of the 2027 elections.
Wike, however, has maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is not an alternative structure to the APC but a platform aimed at mobilising support for Tinubu across party lines. He has also said his support for Tinubu does not prevent the PDP from presenting candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections.
Fayose argued that the disagreement should not be interpreted as a threat to Tinubu’s presidential bid. He said the effectiveness of the coalition would ultimately depend on whether it could deliver votes in areas where it operates.
“Nigerians know who Wike is and the institution, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, and they are both saying different things in different ways,” Fayose said.
He added that the Governors’ Forum had its position, while Wike was pursuing a different political strategy, stressing that the approach that works in one state might not necessarily work in another.
According to Fayose, Wike’s political activities should also be understood within the context of his continued association with the PDP. He said the FCT minister had not indicated that PDP members should abandon contests for other elective positions simply because he was supporting Tinubu at the presidential level.
Fayose maintained that political parties would continue to field candidates for positions below the presidency, describing that as part of the normal electoral process.
The former Ekiti governor also said political disagreements were expected when influential politicians had competing interests and ambitions.
He argued that the dispute between Wike and the APC governors did not necessarily mean they were working against the same presidential objective.
The APC governors, meanwhile, have maintained that their political activities should be conducted through the structures of the ruling party. Their position followed concerns that independent political arrangements could create divided loyalties and affect APC candidates during the 2027 elections.
Wike has rejected that interpretation, insisting that the Rainbow Coalition is specifically focused on supporting Tinubu’s re-election rather than replacing or weakening the APC.
The disagreement has therefore highlighted a broader question ahead of the 2027 elections: how politicians from different parties who support the same presidential candidate will coordinate their activities while still contesting against one another in other races.
Fayose said the different political interests should be allowed to play out, arguing that the eventual impact of the various strategies would be determined by their ability to secure electoral support.
