2027: APC governors draw battle line with Wike, reject coalition

By Segun Adebayo

The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has drawn a political battle line with the emerging coalition linked to former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, declaring that APC governors will not support any political arrangement outside the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.

The governors, under the umbrella of the PGF, said their loyalty remains with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu, ruling out participation in any coalition that could weaken the president’s re-election bid or the fortunes of APC candidates across the country.

Chairman of the Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, announced the position late on Monday after the APC governors met in Abuja.

Uzodimma said the governors would not support any political arrangement capable of undermining the APC or its candidates in the 2027 elections.

He said the governors were committed to the party and would deploy their political structures across their respective states to secure victory for Tinubu and other APC candidates.

“We are governors elected on the platform of the APC. Our loyalty is to the party and to the leadership of the party. We will not participate in any arrangement that will weaken the APC or undermine our candidates,” Uzodimma said.

The Imo governor said the governors would take the lead in mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election, stressing that the president’s campaign would receive the backing of APC governors across the states.

The position is significant as politicians from different parties and political camps continue to explore a coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Wike emerging as one of the prominent figures associated with the proposed realignment.

The APC governors, however, said they would remain within the party’s structure and work to strengthen its chances at the presidential, governorship and legislative levels.

Uzodimma said the governors would also ensure that APC candidates contesting the governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections received the necessary political support in their respective states.

The PGF’s declaration effectively rules out the possibility of APC governors openly backing a coalition outside the ruling party while simultaneously seeking re-election or supporting other APC candidates.

The governors are expected to play a major role in the mobilisation of voters and party structures as the 2027 elections approach, particularly in states controlled by the APC.

Uzodimma said the governors remained united in their commitment to the APC and would work collectively to deliver victory for Tinubu and the party’s candidates in 2027.