ABUJA: Governors elected on the platform of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) have declared that they will not support political alliances or candidates outside the party in the 2027 elections if such arrangements could undermine APC candidates or President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The position was disclosed by the Chairman of the APC Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, after the forum’s meeting in Abuja on Monday night.
The declaration comes amid the growing activities of the political movement associated with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, popularly referred to as the Rainbow Coalition.
Uzodimma said the governors had unanimously resolved not to participate in, support or endorse any political arrangement they believe could weaken the APC or negatively affect the party’s candidates.
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.
He said the position meant APC governors would not support candidates contesting against APC candidates at any 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, Uzodimma said.
The governors’ declaration comes against the backdrop of the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by Wike, a former Rivers State governor and serving minister in the APC-led Federal Government.
The political movement, which emerged in Rivers State, has expanded its activities to other parts of the country and has attracted politicians from different political backgrounds.
Wike has said the coalition supports President Tinubu’s re-election but also provides a platform for politicians seeking to contest governorship and senatorial elections in 2027.
The position has generated concerns among some APC members, particularly over reports that politicians who lost APC primary elections could contest against the party’s candidates while operating within the coalition.
Wike has accused Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of promoting what he described as false claims about the coalition.
During a recent media interaction, the FCT minister alleged that the two governors were behind the criticism because of what he described as the coalition’s growing acceptance and membership.
Wike also maintained that the coalition could support Tinubu’s presidential bid while providing a political platform for candidates contesting other positions against APC candidates.
The conflicting positions have placed the coalition at the centre of emerging political alignments ahead of the 2027 elections.
Uzodimma, who also serves as Secretary of the Tinubu Campaign Council, said APC governors would focus their campaign activities on candidates officially contesting under the party’s platform.
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 development highlights an emerging distinction between support for Tinubu’s presidential bid and support for candidates contesting other elective positions under different platforms.
With the 2027 elections approaching, political parties and emerging coalitions are increasingly defining their alliances and campaign structures across the country.
