Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has firmly confirmed his opposition to the activities of the Rainbow Coalition led by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, aligning himself with fellow All Progressives Congress (APC) governors who view the platform as incompatible with full loyalty to the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television’s Inside Sources on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lawal stated that Wike must clearly define his political allegiance.
He insisted that the minister cannot simultaneously support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid through the APC while backing candidates of other political parties in governorship and legislative contests.
“Our message is very, very clear: be on one side. You can’t be on two sides,” Lawal said. “If you are in APC, please come out and support the APC, not you are supporting APC here and you are supporting some other political parties somewhere else. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not done anywhere.”
The governor emphasised that he and his colleagues in the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) would maintain their stance regardless of Wike’s explanations. “We maintain our stand and the message is very clear. He can speak, he can say whatever he wants to say, but our position has been very clear: APC all the way from head to toe,” he added.
When asked whether the governors were effectively calling on Wike to join the APC, Lawal replied affirmatively: “Exactly. What’s the essence?” He further disclosed that he intends to raise the matter directly with President Tinubu upon the President’s return from his working vacation in France. “It’s something that I will take up with the President when he comes back. So, let there be a very, very clear line where this guy belongs to. It’s either he’s in APC or he’s out. It’s simple. And I go with my brothers, the governors,” Lawal stated.
The Rainbow Coalition is a cross-party platform associated with Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) serving in the Tinubu administration. Wike has promoted it as a vehicle to mobilise support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election while insisting that other parties, including the PDP, remain free to field candidates in governorship, National Assembly, and state assembly elections.
APC governors, under the PGF, have distanced themselves from the arrangement, arguing that it could undermine the party’s structure and the President’s re-election campaign. Some governors have described the initiative in strong terms, with Lawal’s comments reinforcing the collective position of the forum.
Lawal’s remarks come amid growing tension between Wike and APC governors. The FCT minister has previously defended the coalition and, in response to criticism from the governors (led by figures such as Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma), accused them of political laziness. Wike has maintained that his priority remains Tinubu’s presidential ambition without requiring endorsement of APC candidates in every race.
The Zamfara governor’s intervention adds to the debate over political loyalty and party discipline within the APC as the 2027 elections approach. Lawal, who recently defected from the PDP to the APC, positioned himself firmly with the governors’ bloc, declaring, “I’m part of that mission.”
No immediate response from Wike or the Rainbow Coalition was available at the time of filing this report. The development is expected to heighten discussions within the ruling party about the boundaries of cross-party alliances supporting the President’s second-term bid.
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