Onoh, in a statement issued in Abuja, said the coalition was positioning itself to gain significant legislative and political leverage ahead of the 2027 elections.
He alleged that the coalition planned to field candidates for governorship, Senate and House of Representatives seats on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and other political parties.
According to him, such a strategy could enable Wike to build an independent political structure outside the APC while benefiting from his position in the Federal Government.
Onoh said the development required an “institutional response” from President Tinubu and the APC leadership.
He described the Rainbow Coalition as “a calculated parallel power machine”, arguing that its success in the 2027 elections could affect the APC’s control of the National Assembly and state governments.
Onoh said a strong bloc of lawmakers associated with the coalition could give Wike significant influence over the selection of principal officers, passage of budgets and confirmation of executive nominees.
He also warned that victories in governorship elections could enable the coalition to gain control of state political structures and resources, thereby weakening the APC’s grassroots organisation.
Onoh linked Wike’s political strategy to Tinubu’s activities between 2010 and 2015, when, according to him, the current President maintained an independent political structure in the South-West before the formation of the APC through a merger with other opposition parties.
He said Wike was similarly keeping his political structures outside the APC while building influence that could become important in future political realignments.
“Politics is entirely governed by interest and long-term calculation,” Onoh said, arguing that the coalition’s objective extended beyond the 2027 elections to the political transition expected in 2031.
He alleged that Wike could seek to build a network of governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives capable of giving him greater bargaining power over future political arrangements.
Onoh also said the Progressive Governors Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, was justified in resisting what he described as a parallel political structure.
“The APC does not need a ‘Rainbow Coalition’ to win elections; the party possesses the machinery, the track record, and the footprint to deliver the President’s mandate independently,” he said.
Onoh urged Tinubu and the APC National Working Committee to compel Wike to clarify his political position.
He said Wike should either formally join the APC and integrate his political structures into the party, resign as minister and operate as an opposition politician, or stop running what he described as a parallel political machine against APC candidates.
“If we fail to contain this Trojan Horse today, we are giving him the keys to dismantle the APC house tomorrow,” Onoh said.
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