According to a report by Naijanews , on Sunday, September 13, 2026, Denge Josef Onoh called on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to formally register as a member of the All Progressives Congress or stay away from the party’s internal affairs ahead of the 2027 elections.
Onoh, a former South-East spokesman for President Bola Tinubu, made the demand in a statement, according to the report.
He also chairs the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu House of Assembly.
Onoh described the political group associated with Wike as the “Rainbow Coalition” and accused it of posing a threat to the APC.
He characterised the coalition as a distraction and argued that it could undermine the ruling party’s preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
Onoh also rejected comparisons between Wike’s current political grouping and the G5 governors’ alliance that influenced the 2023 elections.
He said the G5 consisted of five serving governors who controlled political structures in their respective states and operated around regional equity.
According to Onoh, Wike’s present coalition does not have the same structure or level of political influence.
He described its members as former office holders and political figures whom he said lacked significant electoral value in their respective wards.
Onoh further questioned the coalition’s ability to gain substantial support outside Rivers State.
He argued that extending what he called a “fractured blueprint” across other geopolitical zones would not produce meaningful votes for Tinubu.
The former presidential spokesman also accused Wike of weakening APC structures through his disagreements with Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Imo Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Onoh said Wike’s disputes with the two APC governors amounted to an attempt to undermine party structures in the North-Central and South-East.
He also opposed any strategy that would encourage voters to support the APC presidential candidate while backing opposition candidates in National Assembly elections.
According to Onoh, such an arrangement could affect the party’s ability to retain a legislative majority because the elections are held concurrently.
He insisted that the APC should pursue a complete party victory rather than a transactional arrangement.
Onoh ended his statement with a direct demand to Wike.
He said, “Either Nyesom Wike fully, formally and unconditionally registers as a card-carrying member of the APC at his political ward, or he must step aside immediately.”
Naija news channel