2027: APC Governors Reject Wike-Led Rainbow Coalition

Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress have rejected any political alliance with individuals or opposition groups ahead of the 2027 general elections, reaffirming their loyalty to the APC and its candidates.

Chairman of the APC Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, made the position known after the governors’ meeting in Abuja on Monday night.

Uzodimma said the governors had not entered into any formal agreement with any individual or political party outside the APC ahead of the elections.

The development comes amid efforts by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Peoples Democratic Party leader, Nyesom Wike, to expand his Rainbow Coalition movement in Rivers State and other parts of the country in support of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Wike, who is serving in the APC-led Federal Government despite remaining a PDP member, has recently been involved in political disagreements with some APC governors.

During a recent media engagement, he accused Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Uzodimma of being involved in political moves against him.

Wike linked the disagreements to the growing influence of his Rainbow Coalition, which he said was creating a platform for politicians seeking to contest governorship and senatorial seats against candidates backed by the ruling party.

However, the APC governors appeared to distance themselves from such arrangements, stating that their political activities ahead of the 2027 elections would be centred on the party’s candidates.

Uzodimma, while presenting the communique from the meeting, said the forum had agreed that its members would not support any political arrangement capable of weakening the APC, creating divided loyalty or affecting the electoral prospects of the party and its candidates.

He said the governors would not back candidates who were not officially sponsored by the APC at any level of the 2027 elections.

According to him, the governors’ campaign activities would be directed towards supporting all APC candidates and strengthening the party’s campaign structure in line with President Tinubu’s re-election effort and the wider objectives of the party.

The governors’ position effectively rules out their participation in political arrangements that could work against APC candidates, even where such alliances are presented as being supportive of Tinubu’s presidential ambition.

The statement also comes as political parties and groups intensify preparations for the 2027 elections, with alliances, defections and mobilisation efforts expected to shape the contest ahead of the polls.