Wike, APC Governors Lock Horns Over 2027 Alliance

•Progressive Governors Reject Rainbow Coalition, Insist on Party Line

•Undermine Wike at Your Peril, PDP Faction Warns APC Govs

•APC Govs Not Happy I’m FCT Minister, Wike

The political differences between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress have widened ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The latest dispute centres on Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, which he has presented as a platform to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

The APC Governors Forum, however, has rejected any political arrangement that could weaken the party or affect its candidates in the 2027 elections.

Imo State Governor and Chairman of the APC Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, announced the position after a meeting of the governors in Abuja.

Uzodimma said the governors had no agreement with individuals or opposition parties outside the APC.

He said the forum would not support any alliance capable of creating divided loyalty or hurting APC candidates at any level.

“The forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate,” Uzodimma said.

The governors’ position has created a fresh political divide with Wike, who insists that the Rainbow Coalition is not an APC arrangement.

Wike said his support for Tinubu’s re-election should not be interpreted as an agreement to support APC candidates in governorship or legislative elections.

He also maintained that the Peoples Democratic Party remains free to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

According to him, the coalition is focused on supporting Tinubu at the presidential level, while politicians remain free to pursue their interests in other contests.

The minister’s position has become a major source of disagreement with some APC governors, particularly over the possible impact on the party’s candidates.

Wike has previously named Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq among those he accused of working against his political activities.

He has also argued that politics at the state level should be treated separately from the presidential contest.

The minister said voters could support Tinubu for president while choosing candidates from other parties for legislative or governorship positions.

He cited voting patterns from the 2023 elections to support his argument that presidential support does not automatically translate into support for candidates of the same party.

The disagreement has drawn a warning from a PDP faction loyal to Wike.

The faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, cautioned APC governors against underestimating the FCT minister’s political influence.

Mohammed said attempts to undermine Wike could have political consequences for those involved.

“Wike is a force to reckon with, not a force to reject,” he said.

The PDP faction also maintained that Wike’s support for Tinubu does not amount to support for the APC or its candidates.

It said the PDP would participate fully in the 2027 elections and field candidates across the various elective positions.

Meanwhile, Wike has linked his growing disagreement with some APC governors to his appointment as FCT minister by President Tinubu.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, he alleged that some APC governors were unhappy with his ministerial position.

“All these things you are seeing didn’t start today. It started with the ministerial position. They are not happy, APC governors, that I was given the Minister of FCT,” Wike said.

He also accused some APC governors of misleading Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara in their political dealings.

Wike recalled that he served as Minister of State for Education before contesting the Rivers governorship election in 2015 and defeating the candidate of the then incumbent administration.

The minister has continued to defend his political activities, saying his central objective is to mobilise support for Tinubu’s return to office.

The APC governors, however, have drawn a clear distinction between supporting the President and supporting candidates contesting on other platforms.

Their position reflects the central issue behind the current dispute: whether political support for Tinubu can operate independently of the APC’s candidates and structures.

For Wike, the Rainbow Coalition remains a broader political platform that can bring together politicians from different parties around the presidential election.

For the APC governors, any arrangement that could weaken the party’s candidates is unacceptable.

The disagreement therefore leaves the relationship between Wike’s coalition and the APC governors unsettled as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.