By Kazeem Waris
Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have warned against the emergence of parallel political structures that could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The governors, under the aegis of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, also declared that they would not support or endorse candidates contesting against the official candidates of the APC at any level.
The position, reached at a high-level meeting of the forum at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja on Monday night, is coming amid growing political tension over the Rainbow Coalition being championed by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.
Although the governors did not name Wike or the coalition, their declaration is expected to be viewed in political circles as a warning against arrangements capable of creating competing political structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
Chairman of the PGF and Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, who read the communique after the meeting, said the governors had unanimously resolved to work exclusively for APC candidates.
Uzodimma, whom Wike recently accused of sponsoring political attacks against him, said the governors would not participate in any political arrangement that could weaken the APC or hurt Tinubu’s re-election prospects.
“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.
“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.
“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 came against the backdrop of political realignments surrounding the Rainbow Coalition, which Wike and his allies have said is aimed at securing Tinubu’s victory in 2027.
Wike remains a registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but has maintained that his involvement in the coalition is driven by the objective of ensuring Tinubu’s re-election.
The coalition has, however, generated political debate within and outside the APC, with concerns in some quarters that competing alliances and candidates could create divided loyalties and complicate the ruling party’s campaign strategy.
The political contest is already producing fresh alignments in states including Rivers, Kwara, Gombe and Cross River, where politicians and party stakeholders are recalibrating their positions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The APC governors’ latest position therefore places greater emphasis on a single campaign structure, with the governors pledging to take responsibility for mobilising support for Tinubu and other APC candidates in their respective states.
The forum’s position also signals a determination by the governors to protect the APC’s electoral structure as the 2027 contest gradually gathers momentum.
