Cross River APC Faces Fresh Political Tension as Wike’s Rainbow Coalition Gains Ground
Cross River APC Faces Fresh Political Tension as Wike’s Rainbow Coalition Gains Ground
Cross River State has been identified among states where the political activities of the National Rainbow Coalition, associated with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, are creating fresh concerns within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
According to a report by Vanguard, the coalition has become a source of tension for APC structures in Rivers, Kwara, Gombe and Cross River, largely because politicians from different parties are working together while retaining their individual party identities.
In Cross River, the report said the coalition is challenging existing APC structures as opposition politicians and defectors mobilise ahead of the 2027 governorship and legislative elections.
The report specifically noted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has an active governorship candidate, Arthur Jarvis, alongside candidates contesting various senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats. It also reported that about 500 APC members recently defected to the PDP in the state.
The development comes against the backdrop of Wike’s insistence that the Rainbow Coalition is primarily designed to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, rather than to operate as an APC structure.
Wike has maintained that members of different political parties can support Tinubu for president while still backing candidates of their preferred parties in governorship and legislative elections. He has also rejected claims that the coalition is an arrangement with the APC.
However, APC governors have expressed a different position.
At a meeting of the APC Governors Forum, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma said the governors would not support or endorse political arrangements capable of weakening the APC or affecting the party’s candidates at any level.
Uzodimma said the governors’ campaign structure would focus exclusively on APC candidates and align with President Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
The disagreement therefore creates an unusual political situation in states such as Cross River, where politicians could potentially support the same presidential candidate while backing different candidates at state and legislative levels.
For Cross River, the development adds another layer to an already active 2027 political environment, with the APC, PDP and other political groups positioning themselves for the governorship and legislative contests.
The emerging battle also means that the strength of existing party structures, defections and alliances could become important factors in how the 2027 political contest develops across the state.
For now, Wike continues to argue that his objective is to secure support for Tinubu, while APC governors insist that support for the President should not come at the expense of the party’s candidates in other elections.
