Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have formally distanced themselves from the “Rainbow Coalition” being championed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, announced the resolution after a closed-door meeting at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja on Monday night. The governors declared that they would not participate in, support, or endorse any political arrangement capable of undermining President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, weakening the APC, or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at any level.
“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 stated. He further stressed that the governors’ campaign commitment is exclusively to APC candidates, with all campaign architecture aligning with the expectations of the President and the party’s strategic objectives.
The APC governors’ decision is a direct response to Wike’s growing cross-party political movement. The FCT Minister, who remains a prominent member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while serving in the APC-led Federal Government, has been promoting the Rainbow Coalition as a vehicle to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election. Wike has insisted that his coalition is not an arrangement with the APC, and that his support for Tinubu does not preclude the PDP from fielding candidates in other elections.
However, the governors expressed concern that such a cross-party arrangement could produce split-ticket voting, where politicians support Tinubu for President while backing candidates from other parties for governorship and legislative seats, ultimately weakening APC candidates.
Wike fired back at the governors, dismissing their position as “politically lazy” and insisting he never approached the forum for any alliance. “There is no day I went to the Governors’ Forum to align with any rainbow coalition — there is no such day,” Wike said in an interview with ARISE NEWS. He also claimed that President Tinubu is fully aware of his political activities and that only the President can question his decisions, not the governors.
The clash has exposed a fundamental contradiction within the ruling party’s camp ahead of 2027. While Wike and his allies envision a broad coalition transcending party lines to secure Tinubu’s re-election, APC governors insist their priority must be the survival and electoral success of the party and its candidates at all levels. The confrontation raises fresh questions over the control of the political machinery for President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Abuja Network News
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