The All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in the South-East has thrown its weight behind the party’s governors and candidates ahead of the 2027 elections, rejecting the cross-party “Rainbow (chameleon) Coalition” associated with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The party’s South-East leaders said they would resist any political arrangement capable of weakening the APC’s structures or undermining its candidates in the region.
Their position was contained in a joint statement issued on Thursday and signed by the APC National Vice-Chairman, South-East, Ijeomah Arodiogbu, alongside the party chairmen in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
The statement followed Monday’s declaration by the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) that it would not support any alliance or political arrangement that could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or APC candidates at the 2027 polls.
Although the PGF did not name Wike’s coalition, its position came against the backdrop of the FCT minister’s efforts to build a cross-party platform in support of Tinubu’s return to office.
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said in January that the coalition represented a departure from conventional party politics towards a broader political movement focused on advancing the interests of the state.
But the South-East APC leadership insisted that support for the party must extend across the ballot, from the presidential contest to state legislative elections.
The leaders also took exception to Wike’s recent criticism of members of the PGF, describing his remarks as “most unfortunate, reprehensible and completely unacceptable”.
They argued that the governors targeted by the minister had records of development in their respective states and had 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 maintained that the governors were elected by their respective constituencies and should be treated with respect irrespective of political disagreements.
They further accused Wike of seeking to influence the political fortunes of serving APC governors ahead of the 2027 elections, arguing that a minister should not 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,” they said.
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The South-East APC leadership called on Wike to withdraw what it described as his attacks and return to “party discipline, mutual respect and collective responsibility”.
The leaders made clear that their allegiance would remain with the APC’s candidates across the various levels of the 2027 elections.
“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.
They also stressed that the party’s collective interests should take precedence over individual political ambitions.
According to them, the APC was “bigger than any individual”, and members should therefore remain committed to its structures and candidates as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
The South-East leaders said the PGF’s position was consistent with the need for internal cohesion and coordinated support for APC candidates nationwide.
They consequently urged APC members in the region to remain united behind the party’s structures and candidates as the political contest ahead of the 2027 elections takes shape.