The All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman in Imo State, Austin Onyedebelu, has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to formally join the ruling party.
Onyedebelu said if Wike genuinely wants to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general election, he would not hesitate to join the president’s party.
A political rift has emerged between the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and the Wike-floated Rainbow Coalition.
While Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the coalition is a channel to secure Tinubu’s second term, the Uzodimma group perceived the arrangement as capable of weakening APC ranks in the future.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, September 24, 2026, the Imo APC chairman, who described Wike as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy, said the minister could not belong to the PDP and the APC simultaneously.
Onyedebelu said: “There is no provision in the Electoral Act that says one can be a member of two political parties at the same time.
“If Wike wants to work for Mr President, he should join his train. You cannot be at the end of two roads and say you are heading east.”
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Onyedebelu accused Wike of using the Rainbow Coalition to revive the PDP and sustain his alleged presidential ambition.
He added that the APC, through its governors, had made its position on the need for a coalition clear, adding that Wike reacted by criticising APC leaders, including Uzodimma.
Onyedebelu further alleged that Wike’s actions were driven by ulterior motives, which, according to him, only visionary politicians such as Uzodimma could decipher.
The Imo APC chairman advised Wike to stop what he described as attempts to APC leaders, particularly Uzodimma, saying such actions amounted to undermining Nigeria’s democracy.
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