Enough is enough: APC Council urges Wike, govs to end fight, embarks on grassroots campaigns for Tinubu

Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will officially take charge of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in their respective states ahead of the 2027 elections.

The ruling party has also resolved to distance itself from any political alliances capable of undermining the President’s interests or weakening the party.

This was disclosed on Monday night by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, after a high-level emergency meeting of the forum held at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

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 for election as being sponsored by our party,” Uzodimma added.

The PGF stressed 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.

Meanwhile,  spokesperson for the APC presidential campaign council, Ima Niboro, has told the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and APC governors to stop their public exchanges and take their political battle to the grassroots ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Niboro said the politicians should spend more time building support among voters instead of trading accusations and responding to one another on television.

He spoke on Wednesday during an appearance on Arise Television’s The Morning Show.

This follows the disagreement that has emerged between Wike and some APC governors over how support for President Bola Tinubu should be mobilised ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The latest dispute was triggered by Wike’s promotion of what he calls the “Rainbow Coalition”, a cross-party arrangement aimed at mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election.

While Wike has maintained that the coalition is focused on the presidential election and does not require other political parties to abandon their candidates, APC governors have rejected the arrangement.

The position of the governors was made public by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, after a meeting of the governors in Abuja.

Uzodimma said the governors would not support any political arrangement that could weaken the APC or affect the interests of its candidates in the 2027 elections.

“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,” Uzodimma said.

He also made it clear that the governors would continue to campaign for APC candidates across the various elective positions.

“In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate because our candidates who are contesting the election are being sponsored by our party,” Uzodimma said.

Wike responded by questioning the political strength of the APC governors and criticised them over their opposition to his coalition.

He particularly took aim at Uzodimma, saying the Imo governor should be grateful that he was not a member of the APC.

“I said I will support the President from day one. I never told Mr. President I will join APC. Go and ask him. If I want to join APC, it’s not people like Hope who will tell me to join APC,” Wike said.

“In fact, he is lucky I’m not in APC because I wouldn’t take that kind of rubbish he is doing in APC.”

The FCT minister has repeatedly explained that his support for Tinubu should not be interpreted as an agreement to support APC candidates in every other election.

He said his objective was to mobilise votes for Tinubu while allowing political parties, including the PDP, to retain the right to field candidates for governorship and legislative contests.

“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the reelection of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections,” Wike said.