The All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in the South-East has endorsed the position of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) that the party should support all its candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Gatekeepers News reports that the leaders also rejected what they described as the “Rainbow (chameleon) Coalition”, warning that they would resist any political arrangement aimed at weakening the APC’s structures or candidates in the region.
Their position was contained in a joint statement issued on Thursday and signed by Ijeomah Arodiogbu, APC National Vice-Chairman for the South-East, alongside the party chairmen in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
The development followed the PGF’s position on Monday that its members would not support any alliance or political arrangement capable of weakening the APC or affecting the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections.
The governors’ position has been linked to the Rainbow Coalition promoted by Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, as an alliance of politicians from different parties backing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The South-East APC leaders said supporting the party’s candidates from the presidency down to the state Houses of Assembly was necessary to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
They also condemned Wike’s recent criticisms of members of the PGF, describing his remarks as “most unfortunate, reprehensible and completely unacceptable.”
According to the leaders, the governors criticised by Wike had recorded developments in their respective states and secured more than 25 percent of the presidential vote in their states during the 2023 election.
“Progressive Governors are not abstract politicians; they are performing leaders whose records speak for themselves,” they said.
The APC leaders said the governors were independently elected leaders who deserved respect despite political differences.
They further accused Wike of attempting to influence the political fortunes of serving APC governors ahead of the 2027 elections, arguing that no minister should assume authority over elected state chief executives.
“It is more troubling that Wike’s growing tendency to insult, diminish and plot to remove sitting Progressive Governors in 2027 is increasing each day,” the leaders said.
They called on the FCT minister to withdraw his criticisms of the governors and return to what they described as “party discipline, mutual respect and collective responsibility.”
The South-East APC leadership also warned against any political arrangement that could weaken the party’s structures or reduce the influence of its candidates in the region.
“We in the South East stand solidly with all Progressive Governors and candidates of our party at all levels in the forthcoming 2027 elections,” the statement said.
The leaders maintained that the APC was “bigger than any individual” and urged members across the region to support the party’s candidates at every level.
The development adds to an ongoing disagreement between Wike and APC governors over the Rainbow Coalition and the extent to which support for Tinubu’s presidential bid should translate into support for APC candidates in other 2027 contests. Wike has maintained that his support for Tinubu does not necessarily mean backing APC candidates in other elections.
