Chidinma Iroegbu
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has maintained that politicians can back President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election while pursuing separate interests in governorship and legislative elections, amid disagreements over the Nyesom Wike-led Rainbow Coalition.
APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, said the position allows politicians to support the President at the federal level while choosing their preferred candidates in other contests, describing it as a “win-win situation for us.”
The development followed a declaration by APC governors that they would not support political arrangements they believe could weaken the party, its candidates or Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is a multi-party platform created to mobilise support for Tinubu and is separate from the APC.
The minister has also argued that support for Tinubu does not require members of other parties to abandon their candidates in governorship and legislative elections, citing the 2023 elections as an example of split-ticket voting.
The disagreement has raised questions over how independent political structures could operate alongside APC structures during the 2027 presidential, governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections.
Former APC stakeholder in Osun State, Alhaji Liadi Tella, has urged APC governors to concentrate on their own re-election campaigns, questioning the extent of the Rainbow Coalition’s grassroots presence across the states.
Meanwhile, former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu said the party was holding discussions with political groups as well as serving and former governors. However, the discussions do not by themselves establish that any APC governor is preparing to leave the party.
The political debate has also revived arguments over the role of the G5 during the 2023 presidential election, with Wike saying the group encouraged Peter Obi to take votes in some South-South states to limit Atiku Abubakar’s advantage.
The claim has since drawn opposing reactions, including criticism from Aisha Yesufu and an Oyo State government aide, Anthony Ehilebo, who questioned Wike’s account and the wider political relevance of the Rainbow Coalition.
For now, Wike and the APC governors remain aligned on Tinubu’s presidential bid but differ over political structures and candidates for other offices, leaving the 2027 election cycle with competing approaches to party mobilisation and campaign organisation.