Ebonyi governor responds to Wike’s “politically lazy” remark as Rainbow Coalition dispute widens ahead of 2027
ABAKALIKI — Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has issued a strong warning amid the growing political confrontation between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Nwifuru said he and his political allies were not afraid of those challenging them, declaring that they had what it would take to confront anyone attempting to test their resolve.
The governor spoke on Wednesday during a political gathering in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, while reacting to recent comments by Wike on the APC governors and the emerging political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike had, during an interview with ARISE News on Tuesday, described APC governors as “politically lazy” after the Progressive Governors’ Forum rejected the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by the FCT minister.
The APC governors, led by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, had earlier declared that they would not participate in, support or endorse any political alliance capable of weakening the APC, undermining President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or adversely affecting the party’s candidates.
Wike subsequently rejected the governors’ position, insisting that his political mobilisation was aimed at supporting Tinubu personally and not at promoting the APC as a party.
He also maintained that the Rainbow Coalition would not prevent the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or other political parties from presenting candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections in 2027.
The dispute has now extended into Ebonyi, where Nwifuru accused unnamed political actors of claiming that President Tinubu had handed the state to the PDP and Wike.
“This sentiment came out on the grounds that some people are going around saying that they discussed with Mr President that he has given Ebonyi to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,” Nwifuru said.
“They also said that the President has given Ebonyi to their leader, Nyesom Wike. We sympathise with them.”
The governor then issued his strongest warning.
“I want to sound this way as your governor that we are not afraid. We have all it takes to destroy whoever is trying us,” he said.
Nwifuru’s remarks came against the backdrop of Wike’s argument that political support for Tinubu should not automatically translate into support for every APC candidate in other elections.
Wike has said he would mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election but never promised that the PDP would withdraw from governorship, National Assembly or state assembly contests.
He also argued that politics is local and that politicians facing political challenges in their states should resolve them without using Tinubu’s presidential re-election campaign as a reason to oppose the Rainbow Coalition.
The APC Governors’ Forum has taken a different position.
Following its meeting in Abuja, the forum said its members would not support or endorse political arrangements capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election, weakening the APC or adversely affecting APC candidates.
Uzodimma said the forum’s position was unanimous and that APC governors would remain committed to the party’s candidates at the various levels of the 2027 elections.
Wike, however, said he had never approached the APC governors seeking an alliance.
In his ARISE News interview, he described their opposition as politically lazy and maintained that his coalition was a separate multi-party effort focused on mobilising support for Tinubu.
The minister also said he was not answerable to the APC governors over his political activities and maintained that his support for Tinubu was distinct from support for the APC.
The disagreement has created a complicated political arrangement ahead of the 2027 elections. Wike remains a prominent PDP figure and serves in the APC-led Federal Government, while openly supporting Tinubu’s bid for another term.
At the same time, the PDP has indicated that it intends to contest elections at different levels, creating a distinction between support for Tinubu at the presidential level and competition among political parties in governorship and legislative elections.
In Ebonyi, Nwifuru’s latest remarks indicate that the political dispute is also being interpreted through the state’s local political calculations.
The governor had previously warned opposition politicians in the state that they would face a stronger political challenge when the time comes. In an earlier September address, he told newly elected local government chairmen to strengthen the APC’s grassroots structure ahead of the 2027 elections.
The latest exchange therefore adds another layer to the increasingly public disagreement over Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, the APC’s internal political structure and the competing interests of political actors preparing for the 2027 elections.
For now, Wike maintains that his coalition is designed to mobilise support for Tinubu across party lines, while the APC Governors’ Forum says it will not support arrangements that could weaken the APC or its candidates.
Nwifuru’s warning suggests that the disagreement has also become a local political issue in Ebonyi, particularly following claims that Wike or his allies could have a political role in the state.
IBN News reports that neither Wike nor the APC Governors’ Forum has indicated that the dispute will affect support for Tinubu at the presidential level, but both sides remain divided over how political alliances should operate alongside the 2027 contests for state and federal offices.
