The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has rejected political arrangements that could see members support candidates outside the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections, in what appears to be a move to check the growing influence of cross-party alliances around President Bola Tinubu.
The governors said they would not support any political arrangement capable of weakening the APC, undermining Tinubu’s bid for a second term or working against candidates contesting elections on the party’s platform.
The position is particularly significant against the backdrop of efforts by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to build a broad-based political coalition in support of Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has backed Tinubu’s re-election bid while maintaining his political affiliation with the opposition party. He has also continued to play a role in PDP politics and is known to be backing some PDP candidates in contests where they are pitched against APC candidates.
The PGF’s declaration therefore appears aimed at drawing a distinction between supporting Tinubu at the presidential level and supporting non-APC candidates at other levels of the election.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday after the forum’s meeting, its chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, said APC governors had unanimously resolved not to participate in any alliance that could undermine the party’s electoral interests.
“The 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,” Uzodimma said.
“In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate.”
The Imo governor, who spoke alongside his colleagues, said the governors’ campaign activities would be directed towards candidates sponsored by the APC.
“Because our candidates are standing in the election as being sponsored by our party, the governor’s campaign commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates,” he said.
Uzodimma said the governors would not entertain political arrangements capable of producing “confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests” within the ruling party.
Though he did not specifically name Wike, the statement comes at a time when the FCT minister has been at the centre of a political realignment involving politicians from different parties who are backing Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor and prominent PDP figure, was appointed FCT minister by Tinubu in 2023. Despite his role in the federal government and his support for the President, he has remained a member of the PDP.
In January, Wike said the emerging coalition represented a departure from conventional party politics towards a broader political movement focused on advancing the interests of the country and the states.
But the position of the APC governors suggests that, while they may welcome alliances that strengthen Tinubu’s presidential campaign, they are unwilling to allow such arrangements to compromise the fortunes of APC candidates in other races.
The development could create fresh political tensions within the wider coalition supporting Tinubu, particularly in states where PDP and APC candidates are competing directly for elective offices.
Uzodimma also announced that the APC would deploy an integrated and locally responsive campaign structure for the 2027 elections.
According to him, all levels of the party’s campaign machinery would be aligned with Tinubu’s expectations and the strategic objectives of the APC.
The governors’ insistence on exclusive support for APC candidates could therefore become a defining feature of the ruling party’s strategy as it prepares for the 2027 elections, potentially limiting the room for cross-party actors seeking to combine support for Tinubu with backing for candidates from rival parties.
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