Precious Nwonu, Enugu
Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress have ruled out any political alliance with individuals or opposition groups ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The governors said they remained committed to the APC and would support only candidates sponsored by the ruling party in the forthcoming elections.
Chairman of the APC Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, disclosed this after the forum’s meeting in Abuja on Monday night.
Uzodimma said the governors had not entered into any formal agreement with any individual or opposition party ahead of the elections.
The position comes amid the growing activities of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Peoples Democratic Party leader, Nyesom Wike, who has been promoting a political movement known as the Rainbow Coalition in Rivers State.
Wike, who is serving in the APC-led Federal Government, has declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 while maintaining that his Rainbow Coalition is separate from the APC.
The minister has also been at odds with some APC governors over political matters.
During a recent media chat, Wike alleged that Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, were among those behind the political challenges he had faced.
He attributed the alleged opposition to the growing influence of his Rainbow Coalition, which he said was attracting politicians interested in contesting against some APC governorship and senatorial candidates in 2027.
However, the APC governors, in a communique read by Uzodimma after their meeting, said they would not support any political arrangement that could undermine the party or its candidates.
The forum said its campaign efforts would be directed exclusively towards APC candidates at all levels.
Uzodimma said, “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 added that the governors would not support candidates outside the APC.
“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 said.
According to the Imo governor, the forum’s campaign strategy would remain aligned with President Tinubu and the leadership of the APC.
“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 effectively draws a line between the APC governors’ official political activities and Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, despite the minister’s support for Tinubu’s second-term bid.
The 2027 elections are expected to produce further realignments as political parties and influential politicians intensify efforts to consolidate support ahead of the polls.