Ondo APC Elders Reject Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, Insist Party Can Deliver 1 Million Votes for Tinubu

Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State have rejected the proposed Rainbow Coalition arrangement involving other political parties ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027.

The elders maintained that the APC has sufficient political strength and grassroots support in the state to secure victory for Tinubu without entering into a coalition that could require the party to surrender elective positions to other political groups.

The Rainbow Coalition, initiated by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is a cross-party platform designed to bring different political parties together to support Tinubu’s re-election while allowing participating parties to contest local government and legislative positions.

However, speaking at a meeting in Akure on Wednesday, Chairman of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Mandate Elders Forum, Dr Demola Ijabiyi, said the arrangement was unnecessary in Ondo State.

Ijabiyi argued that the APC remained the dominant political party in the state, controlling both the state government and local government structures. He added that the party was confident of delivering more than one million votes for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

“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,” he said.

He maintained that there was no justification for an arrangement that would require the APC to sacrifice its candidates or surrender constituencies in exchange for support for the President.

While rejecting the proposed political concessions, Ijabiyi said the elders remained open to other parties and individuals willing to endorse Tinubu’s re-election.

He stressed that support for the President should not come at the expense of APC candidates, adding that the party intended to secure victory across its entire ticket while expanding support for Tinubu.

The APC elders’ chairman also urged the party’s National Assembly and state House of Assembly candidates to participate actively in the ongoing mobilisation campaign.

According to him, candidates must take their campaigns down to polling-unit level, assess the party’s strength in their constituencies, identify areas where mobilisation is weak and work with local leaders to address the gaps.

Ijabiyi further called on APC women and youths to begin sustained door-to-door campaigns to help the President surpass the party’s one-million-vote target in the state.

He said their networks across homes, markets, workplaces, schools and communities made them important to the party’s mobilisation efforts.

The former lawmaker urged campaigners to explain the administration’s record, listen to voters’ concerns and respond with facts and patience rather than relying solely on political slogans.

He also called on party leaders at the local government and ward levels to give women and young people meaningful roles in planning, leadership and grassroots mobilisation.

The position of the Ondo APC elders highlights a disagreement over how the proposed Rainbow Coalition should operate across different states, particularly where the ruling party believes it already has sufficient electoral structures to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.