The APC governors have rejected any political arrangement that could create parallel structures within the ruling party or undermine President Bola Tinubu’s bid for re-election in the 2027 general elections.
The position is widely seen as a response to the growing influence of the Rainbow Coalition associated with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, announced the governors’ position on Monday night following a closed-door meeting at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
The meeting came amid growing political tensions within the APC as different groups and influential politicians position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to Uzodimma, the governors resolved that they would neither participate in nor support any alliance or political arrangement capable of weakening the APC or affecting Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
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 stressed that APC governors would focus exclusively on candidates officially sponsored by the party at every level of the 2027 elections.
“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,” he added.
The governors also pledged to take responsibility for mobilising support for President Tinubu and other APC candidates across their respective states.
Uzodimma said the governors’ campaign efforts would align with the President’s political objectives and the overall strategy of the ruling 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,” he said.
The declaration comes against the backdrop of concerns that rival political structures could create confusion among voters and divide support for APC candidates during the 2027 elections.
The governors’ position is likely to intensify attention around Wike and the political coalition he has been championing.
Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party but has repeatedly maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is designed to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The coalition has attracted politicians and political interests from different parties and has been expanding its presence in several states.
Its activities have reportedly generated tension among political actors in states including Rivers, Kwara, Gombe and Cross River, where politicians are reassessing their alliances ahead of the 2027 contest.
The development has also raised questions over whether politicians working through the coalition could eventually create competing campaign structures outside the official APC machinery.
With the 2027 elections drawing closer, political alignments are increasingly becoming a major feature of Nigeria’s political landscape.
The growing activities of the Rainbow Coalition, alongside efforts by the APC leadership and governors to consolidate the party’s structure, are expected to shape the contest for the presidency and other elective positions.
For the APC governors, however, the message is clear: party candidates must remain at the centre of the 2027 campaign, with no alternative structure allowed to undermine the party’s electoral machinery.
The unfolding political battle is expected to become more intense as presidential hopefuls, governors, lawmakers and grassroots politicians continue to reposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
