By Spear News Nigeria
The fragile unity within the All Progressives Congress (APC) has come under fresh strain as governors elected on the party’s platform squared off with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the creation of political structures seen as capable of undermining President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The confrontation, which had been brewing for weeks, burst into the open after the Progressive Governors Forum issued a firm warning against parallel political arrangements, a move widely interpreted as a direct response to the Rainbow Coalition being championed by Wike.
Governors Draw the Line
Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, who has recently been the target of political attacks allegedly sponsored by Wike, spoke on behalf of his colleagues late Monday night after a closed-door meeting at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
Reading from a communique, Uzodimma stated that no arrangement that creates confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests within the party would be entertained. According to him, the primary focus of the forum is to support official APC candidates at all levels rather than external interests.
“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.
“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 further emphasised that the governors’ campaign commitment is exclusive to APC candidates, noting that all levels of the party campaign architecture would align with the expectations of the President and the strategic objectives of the party.
The governors also pledged to take charge of President Tinubu’s re-election campaign across their respective states.
The Rainbow Coalition Factor
The governors’ warning comes amid mounting friction within the APC over the Rainbow Coalition, with some powerful blocs in the party said to be pushing back against the arrangement over fears that it could split votes and damage Tinubu’s 2027 presidential chances.
The coalition has swept through several states since its emergence, upturning old loyalties, splitting ruling party ranks and leaving governors, senators and grassroots politicians scrambling to recalibrate their positions ahead of the next general election. The tensions are already playing out in states including Rivers, Kwara, Gombe and Cross River.
The governors warned that coalition candidates flying different party flags could confuse rural voters, a concern that speaks to the broader anxiety within the party about the coalition’s potential to fragment its support base.
The warning against parallel structures has been read in some quarters as an indirect message to Wike, who remains a registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but has continued to insist that the Rainbow Coalition exists solely to secure Tinubu’s re-election.
Wike Fires Back
In a swift counter, the FCT minister queried why Uzodimma was unable to garner massive support for President Tinubu in the 2023 election, saying modern politics is no longer about coming from fourth position to emerge governor.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike insisted that his task ahead of 2027 is to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election, not to intervene in local politics in the states.
He described the Rainbow Coalition as a platform for other political parties pleased with the good works of the President and supporting his re-election, adding that it has nothing to do with the APC.
Wike, who said he would not be the one to help people win elections in their states, noted that politics is local and that those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using the re-election of the President to whip up sentiments.
The minister pointed out that he never met with the APC before he and other members of the G5 supported the President in 2023, adding that for 2027, his support is for the President only.
Taking a direct swipe at Uzodimma’s home turf, he queried: “In Imo State under Governor Uzodimma, how did APC win two Senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day with that of the President and APC had less than 15 per cent in the presidential election? Was it the rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?”
“Was it the rainbow coalition that also made APC to win National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu states where the President did not have 10 per cent of the votes?”
“If in 2023, the voters in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi voted APC in the senatorial election and voted another party in the presidential election, they won’t be confused in 2027, provided we all support the president genuinely this time.”
The minister urged all stakeholders to put the presidential election first, saying: “After the President must have been reelected, we can all go and face elections in our states.”
He added: “What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the re-election of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections.”
PDP Enters the Fray
Reacting to the development, the Peoples Democratic Party hit back at the APC governors over their reported rejection of Wike’s political support for President Tinubu, saying the former Rivers State governor remains a formidable force ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the PDP said Wike has every constitutional and democratic right to choose whom he supports, arguing that his support for Tinubu did not mean he had abandoned the PDP or joined the APC.
“Wike has every constitutional and democratic right to decide whom he supports politically. His support for President Tinubu is legitimate, and as a serving appointee of the President, there is nothing contradictory about supporting the President while maintaining his political identity and relationships within the PDP,” Jungudo said.
The party said the APC governors had initially interpreted Wike’s support for Tinubu as an endorsement of the APC but were now confronted with the reality that the FCT minister could support the President while retaining his political identity and relationships within the PDP.
It described as a “fundamental political miscalculation” any attempt by the governors to dictate whether Wike should support or field candidates capable of challenging them and their preferred candidates in 2027.
The PDP said every political party had the right to field candidates, adding that the reported position of the governors suggested that they were becoming increasingly anxious about facing strong opposition candidates at the polls.
“If they have truly performed and retained the confidence of their people, they should welcome a contest and allow the electorate to decide,” the party said.
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