ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former South-East spokesman to President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has warned that the Rainbow Coalition associated with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike could weaken the All Progressives Congress (APC) if it is allowed to develop a political structure outside the party’s established machinery.
Vanguard reports that Onoh, who chairs the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, expressed the position in a statement issued to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, backing the Progressive Governors Forum and its rejection of political arrangements capable of producing competing structures within the APC.
He described the governors’ position as an important step towards protecting the party’s cohesion, saying he had previously raised concerns about the activities of the coalition.
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According to Onoh, the coalition’s claim of supporting Tinubu’s 2027 re-election should not be used to justify arrangements that could undermine APC candidates contesting other positions.
He alleged that the coalition was effectively seeking to build a parallel political machine by backing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members or candidates against those officially nominated by the APC.
“The APC is a structured institution with established constitutional guidelines. A non-member cannot operate a parallel political machine that dictates terms to the ruling party or undermines its official candidates,” he said.
Onoh described the Rainbow Coalition as a “calculated Greek gift”, alleging that its activities could eventually produce divided loyalties and rebellion within the ruling party.
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He argued that genuine support for Tinubu should translate into strengthening the APC’s structures rather than creating alternative platforms that operate alongside them.
Beyond the immediate contest for the 2027 election, Onoh alleged that the coalition could be positioning itself for a larger role in determining political succession after the next presidential election.
He claimed that its longer-term objective could include building enough influence across states to bargain for the 2031 vice-presidential ticket.
Onoh based the argument on his expectation that the presidency would return to the North in 2031, with the vice-presidency going to the South.
He said southern political interests should therefore not be surrendered to what he described as the ambitions of an individual or political group.
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“We from the South will not allow our political future to be mortgaged by personal, predatory ambitions disguised as loyalty to the President,” he said.
The former presidential spokesman urged APC governors and leaders to protect the party’s constitutional structure and ensure that recognised party candidates are not disadvantaged by competing political arrangements.
He said allowing opposition members to operate electoral structures within the ruling party could confuse voters, destabilise local party organisations and weaken the APC’s campaign machinery.
Onoh commended the Progressive Governors Forum for what he called its decision to “draw a line in the sand”, saying the party should reward those who remain loyal to its structures.
He also warned against what he described as “outsourcing” the future of the APC to political actors operating under the Rainbow Coalition, insisting that support for Tinubu should not come at the expense of the party’s institutional strength.