The governors of the All Progressives Congress have rejected political arrangements that could weaken the ruling party’s candidates in the 2027 elections, declaring that their support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election will remain tied to the party’s official candidates.
The position was announced on Monday night by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, after a closed-door meeting at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
Uzodimma said the governors would not support any alliance that creates divided loyalty within the All Progressives Congress or places the interests of external political groups above those of the party.
“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.
“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.
“The governors’ campaign commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates. All levels of the party campaign architecture will align with the expectations of Mr President and the strategic objectives of the party,” Uzodimma said.
The declaration comes amid growing opposition within the All Progressives Congress to the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The coalition brings together politicians from different parties and has been presented by Wike as a platform for supporting Tinubu’s re-election while allowing members to pursue their political ambitions under their respective parties.
Wike has repeatedly argued that politicians do not need to join the APC to support the President. He has also maintained that his disagreements with some APC governors should not be interpreted as opposition to Tinubu.
The minister recently said the political realignment would produce a larger national Rainbow Coalition in support of the President ahead of 2027.
However, APC leaders opposed to the arrangement are concerned that it could create confusion among voters, particularly where politicians supporting Tinubu at the presidential level are contesting against APC candidates in governorship, senatorial or House of Representatives elections.
Their concern is that the coalition could help Tinubu win the presidency while reducing the number of APC lawmakers elected alongside him.
The issue has become particularly sensitive in Kwara State, where Senator Saliu Mustapha recently left the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party and declared that his movement was part of the Rainbow Coalition.
Mustapha unveiled the Kwara chapter of the coalition in Ilorin on August 26. He is expected to contest the Kwara Central senatorial election on the PDP platform against Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is seeking the same seat on the APC platform.
Wike has also openly disagreed with some APC governors, including Uzodimma and AbdulRazaq. During a recent media engagement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, he accused AbdulRazaq of leading a campaign against him.
“Take for example, Kwara, he has been the one championing this campaign against me everywhere. Yes, I have confronted him too. I don’t talk about what I cannot defend,” Wike said.
The minister argued that some politicians who had become dissatisfied with the APC could have joined groups working against Tinubu but instead chose to work with him and support the President.
The political tension is also visible in Gombe State, where former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, emerged as the PDP governorship candidate after previously seeking the APC ticket.
In Rivers State, the coalition has become a major factor in the 2027 governorship contest. It brings together politicians from different parties, including the APC, PDP and Labour Party, and has been presented as a platform for determining who will govern the state after Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Wike had initially said the coalition would decide its preferred candidate, rather than personally endorsing one. However, Kingsley Chinda later emerged as the APC governorship candidate and gained the backing of the coalition.
Fubara subsequently joined the political arrangement and declared support for Tinubu and Chinda.
“I am supporting our Rainbow Coalition. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is our President, and it is the one we are supporting. The governorship candidate is the candidate I am supporting, and anybody who believes in me will support every candidate under the Rainbow Coalition,” Fubara said.
Similar political realignments are emerging in Cross River and other states, where politicians from different parties are reportedly working together against incumbent APC political structures.
