APC Govs differ with Wike over rainbow coalition

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum has taken a stand against any political arrangement it believes could weaken the party or undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The governors, after a closed-door meeting in Abuja, resolved that their members would not support or endorse any alliance capable of creating “confusion, divided loyalty, or competing interests” within the ruling party.

The Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, announced the position after the meeting, saying the forum remained committed to strengthening the party and protecting the interests of its candidates at all levels.

Reading from the official communique, Uzodimma said the APC will exclusively back its own candidates at all levels.

“The 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, weaken the APC, or adversely affect any candidate of the party at all levels,” he stated.

He further reaffirmed the forum’s position, saying the governors have no intention to support any candidate who is not sponsored by the APC.

“In other words, the Forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate, because the election and our candidates are standing election as being sponsored by our party,” Uzodimma added.

The PGF emphasised that its campaign loyalty remains undivided, stressing that no arrangement that creates confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests within the party will be entertained.

Despite the APC’s release of its national presidential campaign council, the governors reiterated that they will command the frontlines of the President’s re-election bid in their home states.

Uzodimma clarified that all levels of the party’s campaign architecture will be aligned to the re-election of Mr. President and the strategic objectives of the APC, while maintaining national coherence.

He said the campaign will adapt dynamically to the peculiar political, social and cultural realities of every state and region.

According to the forum, the upcoming campaign will feature several core pillars, including grassroots mobilization across every community and active engagement of all demographic groups through an inclusive, people-centered approach.

The governors said they will push a performance-driven narrative to vigorously demonstrate the administration’s progress using verifiable facts and measurable outcomes from President Tinubu’s current reforms.

The campaign, they added, will present a credible account of the administration’s achievements alongside a compelling blueprint for Nigeria’s future.

Dismissing speculation of internal friction, the forum affirmed that the progressive governors remain completely united, focused and resolute, with zero disagreement on their collective responsibility to deliver victory for President Tinubu and all APC candidates.

Moving forward, the governors pledged to continue strengthening internal party unity, harmonising campaign structures from the national level down to constituencies, and driving development across their states in line with the Renewed Hope agenda.

“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 reelection of Mr. President, weakening the APC, or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels,” Uzodimma said.

The resolution comes amid growing tensions surrounding the political activities of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and his emerging “Rainbow Coalition”, which has drawn concerns from some APC stakeholders.

The coalition, which Wike has said is focused on supporting President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election, has also been linked with political movements involving candidates contesting under other party platforms. Some APC figures fear such an arrangement could split votes and affect the party’s candidates in legislative and state elections.

Wike had recently accused some APC governors, particularly Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, of working against him over his political moves ahead of 2027.

The FCT minister said he remained committed to President Tinubu’s victory but questioned why some politicians were uncomfortable with his political activities. He also argued that his support for the President should not prevent him from helping candidates he believes in at other levels of the election.

However, APC governors and some party stakeholders have expressed concerns that backing candidates outside the party while supporting Tinubu at the presidential level could create confusion among voters and weaken APC’s electoral structure.

Reacting, Wike reiterated his Rainbow Coalition’s support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

Wike ​‌gave the assurance in a statement issued by his Senior Specialist Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Mr Lere Olayinka, in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that his support for Tinubu was being channelled through the coalition, a multi-party platform he initiated to galvanise support for Tinubu.

He explained that the coalition does not have anything to do with APC as erroneously perceived by some APC governors.

“The coalition is a platform for other political parties that are pleased with the good works of Tinubu and are supporting his re-election.

“It has nothing to do with APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” he said.

The minister further said that the rainbow coalition was not initiated to help people to win elections in their states.

According to him, politics is local and those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using Tinubu’s re-election bid to whip up sentiments.

He said that he never met with APC governors before he and other members of the G5 supported Tinubu in 2023, stressing that his support for 2027 elections is exclusively for the president.

Wike, who said politics is about genuinely mobilising support and winning elections from the polling units, urged all Tinubu supporters to focus first on the presidential election.

“After the president is re-elected, we can all go and face elections in our various states.

“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the re-election of Tinubu.

“I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly elections.

“If in 2023, the voters in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi voted APC in the senatorial election and voted another party in the presidential election, they won’t be confused in 2027, provided we all support the president genuinely this time,” he said.