NEWS
Wike’s Rainbow Coalition Hits Brick Wall As Ondo APC Elders Reject Power-Sharing Deal
Wike’s Rainbow Coalition Hits Brick Wall As Ondo APC Elders Reject Power-Sharing Deal
Ondo APC elders reject the proposed Rainbow Coalition, insisting the ruling party can deliver more than one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The elders rule out surrendering APC candidates or constituencies to other parties in exchange for support for the President’s re-election.
The group invites opposition parties to endorse Tinubu without seeking political concessions from the APC.
National Assembly and state assembly candidates, women and youths are urged to intensify grassroots mobilisation and door-to-door campaigns.
November 5, () – Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State have rejected a proposed coalition arrangement involving other political parties to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, insisting that the ruling party has the political structure to secure victory for him in the state without entering into a power-sharing deal.
The elders, under the auspices of the President Bola Tinubu Mandate Elders Forum, said they would not surrender APC candidates or constituencies to other political parties in exchange for support for the President, declaring that the party was sufficiently established across the state to deliver more than one million votes.
The position represents a setback for the Rainbow Coalition initiative being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as part of efforts to build a broad-based political platform for Tinubu’s second-term bid.
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The Rainbow Coalition is designed to bring together politicians from different political parties to support the President’s re-election while allowing participating parties to retain their identities and contest local government and legislative positions.
However, Chairman of the Ondo APC elders’ forum, Dr Demola Ijabiyi, said at a meeting in Akure on Wednesday that the political circumstances in the state did not justify an arrangement that could require the APC to make concessions over elective positions.
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Ijabiyi said the APC controlled the state government and local government councils, adding that the party was confident of its electoral strength and the prospects of its candidates.
“We recognise the value of cooperation among political parties pursuing a common objective. However, the circumstances of each state must determine the form such cooperation takes. In Ondo State, the APC is the dominant political party, controlling government at both the state and local government levels. We, therefore, see no justification for any coalition arrangement that requires us to sacrifice our candidates or surrender constituencies in exchange for support for President Tinubu”, he said.
The former lawmaker, however, said the forum was not opposed to cooperation with opposition parties willing to support Tinubu’s re-election, provided such an arrangement did not undermine APC candidates.
He invited other political parties to endorse the President without demanding concessions from the ruling party.
“We warmly invite other political parties to endorse and support the President’s re-election. Our doors are open to all who share our conviction that his administration should consolidate its reforms and development agenda. However, support for the President need not depend on displacing APC candidates. We have confidence in our candidates and their prospects of victory. Our task is to secure the success of the entire APC ticket while building the widest possible support for the President”, Ijabiyi said.
The elders also called on the party’s National Assembly and state House of Assembly candidates to participate fully in the mobilisation campaign, stressing that their individual electoral campaigns must complement the collective effort to secure votes for Tinubu.
Ijabiyi urged the candidates to take the mobilisation exercise to polling units across their constituencies, assess the party’s grassroots strength and work with local leaders to address areas where voter support and mobilisation remained weak.
“They must add the full weight of their personal campaigns to this collective effort. Their participation must reach the polling units. Every candidate should know the strength of the party in each unit within the constituency, identify gaps in mobilisation and work with local leaders to address them”, he said.
Ijabiyi also urged women and youths in the party to take leading roles in the campaign, particularly through sustained door-to-door engagement with voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, women and young people have extensive community networks that could be deployed to communicate the party’s message and mobilise support for the President.
“We call on APC women and youths to take their place at the forefront of this assignment. Women and young people are central to our communities and to any successful mobilisation effort. Their networks reach into homes, markets, workplaces, schools, professional associations and neighbourhoods across the state”, he said.
Ijabiyi urged them to engage voters, explain the party’s position, listen to their concerns and encourage eligible citizens to participate in the elections.
He said the campaign should be anchored on the President’s record and the objectives of his administration, adding that party members must respond to questions and concerns raised by voters with facts and understanding.
“Our message must be persuasive and grounded in the President’s record and the opportunities his administration seeks to create. Where citizens raise concerns, we must respond with facts, patience and understanding. Women and youths will have meaningful responsibilities in leadership, planning and mobilisation”, he added.
The APC elders further urged party leaders at the local government and ward levels to involve women and youths in planning and executing the mobilisation exercise to ensure that the party’s message reaches communities across the state.
The forum maintained that its immediate objective was to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election while ensuring that APC candidates retained the opportunity to contest and defend the party’s positions at all levels in Ondo State.
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