ABUJA — A fresh political confrontation has erupted between governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the emerging political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The dispute centres on Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, a political platform he says is focused on mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, but which APC governors fear could create parallel political structures and undermine the party’s candidates.
The latest development followed a closed-door meeting of APC governors at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja on Monday night.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, said the governors had resolved not to support any political arrangement capable of weakening the APC or undermining Tinubu’s re-election bid.
More Read
Uzodimma said the governors’ campaign activities would remain focused exclusively on candidates officially sponsored by the APC.
“The APC Governors Forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of Mr President, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels.”
He added that the governors would align their campaign structures with Tinubu’s re-election efforts and the strategic objectives of the APC.
The governors also pledged to take responsibility for mobilising support for Tinubu across their respective states.
Wike Fires Back
Wike responded by questioning the electoral performance of some APC governors during the 2023 presidential election.
Through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the FCT minister argued that the Rainbow Coalition was not an APC structure but a broader political platform involving individuals and groups from different parties who support Tinubu.
Wike maintained that his primary objective ahead of 2027 was to mobilise support for the President rather than interfere in governorship or other state-level contests.
He also rejected the suggestion that his political activities could confuse voters.
Citing the 2023 elections, Wike pointed to instances where voters supported APC candidates in legislative elections while voting for other parties in the presidential election.
He specifically referenced Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states, arguing that voters were capable of making different choices in different contests.
Wike said his support for Tinubu should not be interpreted as a commitment to prevent the PDP from fielding candidates in other elections.
“Most importantly, the Rainbow Coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is its way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President.”
He urged political stakeholders to prioritise the presidential election and deal with state-level contests separately.
PDP Defends Wike
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also weighed into the dispute, defending Wike’s right to support Tinubu while retaining his membership of the opposition party.
In a statement attributed to the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the PDP said Wike remained entitled to make his own political choices.
The party argued that supporting Tinubu did not automatically amount to Wike joining the APC or abandoning his political identity within the PDP.
The PDP further criticised the APC governors’ opposition to political alliances that could produce candidates against them in the 2027 elections.
According to the party, political parties retain the democratic right to field candidates, while voters ultimately determine the winners at the polls.
Political Realignment Ahead of 2027
The disagreement highlights the increasingly complex political alignments emerging ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor and a prominent member of the PDP, supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election alongside members of the former G5 governors.
His continued support for Tinubu has since generated debate over the relationship between the Rainbow Coalition, the PDP and the APC.
The APC governors’ latest position makes clear that they intend to maintain the party’s official structures and candidates as the centre of their political activities.
Wike, meanwhile, has maintained that his stated objective is to mobilise support for Tinubu across party lines without making a commitment to suppress opposition candidates in state and legislative contests.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the competing positions are likely to remain a significant feature of Nigeria’s evolving political landscape.
