Former South-East spokesman to President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to formally join the All Progressives Congress or stay out of the party’s affairs.
Onoh, who is also Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, criticised the political alignment being promoted by Wike, which he described as a “Rainbow Coalition.”
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, Onoh said the coalition could create divisions within the APC and hurt the party’s chances in the 2027 general election.
He described the coalition as a “Trojan horse” and accused Wike of using it to pursue personal political interests.
“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,” Onoh said.
He argued that the coalition did not represent a strong political bloc capable of delivering significant votes to President Tinubu outside Rivers State.
Onoh said Wike’s political influence was largely concentrated in Rivers State and questioned attempts to reproduce what he called a “fractured blueprint” in other parts of the country.
‘Rainbow Coalition not G5’
Onoh also rejected comparisons between the coalition and the G5 governors’ alliance that emerged ahead of the 2023 general election.
He said the G5 was based on regional equity and comprised five serving governors who controlled the political structures in their respective states.
Onoh, who recalled his involvement in efforts to strengthen the APC in the South-East, said the current coalition lacked the political and electoral structures that characterised the G5.
“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.
Onoh attacks Wike’s disputes with APC governors
Reacting to Wike’s recent disagreements with Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Onoh described the disputes as a “diversionary tactic.”
He alleged that Wike was creating political tension in the North-Central and South-East in an attempt to weaken APC structures.
“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 apart,” Onoh said.
He further alleged that Wike was attempting to influence the APC from within using what he described as the same strategy that contributed to divisions in the PDP.
Onoh warns against ‘split-ticket’ voting
Onoh also criticised the promotion of cross-party voting, saying it could weaken the APC’s chances of securing a majority in the National Assembly.
He argued that presidential and National Assembly elections were held at the same time, and that encouraging voters to support the APC presidential candidate while voting for opposition candidates in legislative elections could affect the party’s strength in parliament.
“We cannot exchange a robust, organic party victory for a transactional arrangement,” he said.
Onoh cited the 2023 elections in Enugu State, claiming that attempts to combine support for different parties at presidential and senatorial levels contributed to the PDP’s losses.
‘Wike must choose’
Onoh urged Wike to make a clear political choice, insisting that the minister could not maintain what he described as dual political allegiance while seeking to influence the affairs of the APC.
“Nigeria’s political space has no room for double agents, political rent-collectors, or part-time allegiance,” he said.
“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.
“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.”
Onoh maintained that the APC had enough structures and grassroots support to secure President Tinubu’s re-election across the 36 states without what he described as Wike’s “damaging, self-serving distractions.”
