From Victor Osula
In a veiled reference to the National Rainbow Coalition formed by the Federal Capital Territory, Minister Nyesom Wike to support the re-election of, President Bola Tinubu, Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have called the bluff of alliances and arrangements capable of weakening the party or undermining President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The governors took the position at a high-level, closed-door meeting of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) at the Imo State Governors’ Lodge in Abuja, where they resolved that APC governors would not participate in, support or endorse any political alliance capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election, weakening the party or adversely affecting its candidates at any level.
The declaration in what could signal a fresh confrontation with cross-party forces ahead of the 2027 general elections, comes amid growing political realignments ahead of 2027, particularly the activities of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the emerging National Rainbow Coalition, which seeks to mobilise politicians from different political platforms around Tinubu’s presidential ambition.
Although Wike was not expressly named in the governors’ resolution, the timing and substance of the declaration have inevitably drawn attention to his political activities and the growing debate within the APC over cross-party alliances.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who chairs the PGF, read the communique after the meeting and said the governors were united in protecting the interests of the APC and ensuring that no political arrangement undermines the party or the President.
The governors resolved to align the various levels of the APC campaign structure with Tinubu’s re-election bid and the broader objectives of the party.
They also made clear that no arrangement capable of creating “confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests” within the APC would be entertained.
The communique reads in part: “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.”
The governors further stated that “no arrangement that creates confusion, divided loyalty, or competing interests within the party will be entertained.”
The resolution has added a new layer to the increasingly complicated political battle over the structure of the pro-Tinubu camp ahead of 2027.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor and influential PDP figure, has maintained a strong political presence despite serving as an FCT Minister in the APC-led Federal Government.
His Rainbow Coalition is built around the idea of bringing politicians from different parties and political tendencies together to support Tinubu’s presidential re-election while allowing them to retain their respective political platforms and pursue their interests in other contests. The minister has argued that the coalition is aimed at securing Tinubu’s victory.
But within the APC, the arrangement has generated anxiety because of its potential to accommodate candidates contesting against APC candidates at the state and legislative levels.
At the heart of the emerging disagreement is the possibility of split-ticket voting — where voters support Tinubu for president but vote for candidates from other parties in governorship and legislative elections.
For the APC governors, such a scenario could produce an electoral paradox in which the President wins while the party loses political ground in the same states.
The concern becomes more significant in states where influential political actors are building alternative structures or backing candidates outside the APC while maintaining support for Tinubu.
The concern has become particularly pronounced in states where political interests associated with the coalition are already colliding with the ambitions of APC candidates.
Rivers, Kwara, Gombe and Cross River have emerged among the areas where the competing political interests are being closely watched.
Earlier, Wike accused Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of spearheading resistance to his coalition.
The Progressive governors’ decision to take charge of the President’s re-election campaign in their respective states is therefore politically significant.
Despite the existence of a national presidential campaign structure, the governors are positioning themselves at the forefront of grassroots mobilisation, with the intention of ensuring that the structures delivering votes for Tinubu also work for APC candidates across the ballot.
