Tinubu: APC Moves To Halt Wike, Govs’s Clash

The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun efforts to ease the growing disagreement between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and governors elected on the ruling party’s platform over the Rainbow Coalition.

Naija News reports that the move comes amid concerns within the party that the disagreement could deepen and complicate President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.

The dispute centres on whether opposition politicians backing Tinubu through the coalition should also support APC candidates contesting governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

The Progressive Governors’ Forum, led by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has maintained that APC governors will campaign for Tinubu as well as candidates contesting on the APC platform at all levels.

Wike, however, has maintained that his support is specifically for Tinubu and does not extend to other APC candidates.

A member of the APC National Working Committee told Daily Sun that although Wike and the APC governors were united over Tinubu’s re-election, they could become opponents in legislative and governorship contests where coalition-backed candidates face APC flag bearers.

The NWC member said, “Yes, they are working for the same purpose of facilitating the re-election of Mr President, but it does not mean that the rainbow coalition may not have their own agenda.

“If the Rainbow Coalition wants to elect a candidate into the House of Assembly who is not an APC candidate, what it means is that they are competing against the APC.

“Whatever rainbow coalition means, APC is a party, not a coalition.”

The NWC member said APC governors were particularly concerned about a situation in which coalition supporters mobilised votes for Tinubu in the presidential election but backed candidates from other parties in the legislative contests.

“The only issue that the governors may be pointing to is to avoid a situation where the electorate will take instructions from the coalition to vote for non-APC candidates after voting for Mr President,” he said.

He called for the disagreement to be resolved through political consultations rather than public exchanges.

The NWC member further stated, “The situation requires a high level of strategic networking, not this media war, to streamline the arrangement and ensure that the people understand what they are doing.

“The fact that the coalition supports APC to elect President Tinubu does not mean therefore that APC members are supposed to vote for the candidates of other parties in the name of coalition.”

The NWC member confirmed that the party leadership would intervene, adding, “However, the party will definitely wade into it, but you know that it requires multi-level engagement.”

The disagreement became public after the Progressive Governors’ Forum rejected any political arrangement that could weaken the APC or its candidates.

Uzodimma said the governors had resolved not to support candidates outside the APC.

“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 said.

He added that the governors’ campaign structure would be built around the entire APC ticket.

“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,” Uzodimma said.

Responding to the governors’ position, Wike maintained that no agreement existed requiring members of the coalition or opposition parties supporting Tinubu to campaign for APC candidates in other elections.

“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the re-election of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections,” he said.

The minister also rejected the suggestion that the Rainbow Coalition was an alliance with the APC.

“Most importantly, the Rainbow Coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term.”

“I never met with the All Progressives Congress before I and other members of the G5 supported the President in 2023. And for 2027, my support is for the President only,” he said.

The disagreement also took a personal turn as Wike questioned Uzodimma’s argument that supporting candidates outside the APC could hurt Tinubu’s electoral prospects.

He cited the 2023 elections in Imo, Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu, where voters supported APC candidates in some National Assembly contests despite giving relatively low support to Tinubu in the presidential election.

“In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodimma, how did APC win two Senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day as that of the President, and APC had less than 15 per cent in the presidential election? Was it a rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?” Wike asked.

He also pointed to APC victories in National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu despite Tinubu recording lower presidential votes in those states.

He asked, “Was it the rainbow coalition that also made APC win National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu states where the President did not have 10 per cent of the votes?

“If in 2023, the voters in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi voted APC in the senatorial election and voted another party in the presidential election, they won’t be confused in 2027, provided we all support the President genuinely this time?

“Politics is local, and those having problems in their states should resolve them instead of using the re-election of the President to whip up sentiments. I won’t be the one to help people to win elections in their states.”

He maintained that the coalition’s immediate objective was to secure Tinubu’s return to office, after which members could focus on their respective state contests.

“After the President has been re-elected, we can all go and face elections in our states,” Wike said.