Some governors elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform have reportedly raised concerns with President Bola Tinubu over the National Rainbow Coalition activities being promoted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The governors are worried that the political arrangement, despite publicly professing support for Tinubu’s re-election, could split the ruling party’s votes and undermine APC candidates contesting National Assembly seats.
A senior source familiar with discussions among the governors, who spoke with Vanguard, alleged that the coalition was confusing voters by simultaneously backing Tinubu for President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates for other positions.
The concerns were said to have been communicated to the President during a recent meeting in Abuja.
The National Rainbow Coalition, associated with Wike and his political allies, is backing candidates for National Assembly seats on the PDP platform, while maintaining support for Tinubu’s presidential ambition.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are expected to take place on the same day.
Sources within the APC said some governors believed the arrangement could prove counterproductive because voters might find it difficult to reconcile supporting the APC at the presidential level while switching to the PDP for parliamentary contests.
One source close to the governors claimed that the strategy could reduce the number of votes available to both Tinubu and APC National Assembly candidates.
The source further alleged that some politicians within the coalition were using the President’s name to advance their individual electoral ambitions.
Sources familiar with discussions surrounding the coalition also alleged that some members planned to privately encourage their supporters to vote for PDP candidates despite publicly declaring support for Tinubu.
According to the sources, there were concerns that grassroots supporters could eventually be persuaded to vote for one party across the ballot rather than differentiate between the presidential and parliamentary contests.
Some APC governors were said to have rejected any arrangement that could jeopardise the chances of the ruling party’s National Assembly candidates.
They argued that voting behaviour in many parts of the country had historically favoured a single political party across several positions during elections.
Those opposed to the arrangement reportedly cited the outcome of the 2023 general elections in Oyo State as an example of the potential consequences of cross-party presidential endorsements.
Ahead of that election, Governor Seyi Makinde, a PDP member, was among the five PDP governors who declined to support their party’s presidential candidate.
Tinubu eventually won the presidential election in Oyo State, while the APC also recorded significant gains in the National Assembly contests.
The APC governors reportedly fear a similar voting pattern could emerge in states where politicians encourage voters to support Tinubu while backing opposition candidates for other positions.
“This will hurt Tinubu badly if he does not get maximum votes from North-Central and South-East,” one of the sources said.
Sources also claimed that details of the concerns raised within APC circles had reached Wike.
They alleged that the development contributed to the FCT minister’s recent criticism of some senior APC figures, including Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.
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