Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The South-east All Progressives Congress (APC) has endorsed the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) position calling for all APC candidates to receive the party’s support in the 2027 general election.
The PGF had recently declared that it would not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of President Bola Tinubu or weakening the ruling party or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels in the 2027 general election.
The forum made the declaration against the Rainbow Coalition led by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Wike is supporting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2027 elections in Imo State, while he is also supporting Senator Saliu Mustapha who is contesting Kwara central senatorial election against AbdulRazaq.
Mustapha, a former member of APC, was pushed out of the party after he was denied the Kwara central senatorial ticket in favour of the governor, which forced him to defect to the PDP to re-contest in 2027.
However, the APC National Vice-Chairman (South-east), Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu, and the party chairmen in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States stated this in a statement jointly signed on Thursday.
The South-east APC leaders condemned the recent attacks by Wike on members of the PGF, describing the remarks as “most unfortunate, reprehensible and completely unacceptable”.
They said: “Wike’s criticisms were directed at governors who had delivered significant development in their respective states and secured more than 25 per cent of the presidential votes in their states in the 2023 election.
“Progressive Governors are not abstract politicians; they are performing leaders whose records speak for themselves.”
They added that the governors were independent elected leaders who should be treated with respect.
The APC South-east leadership further accused Wike of seeking to influence the political fortunes of sitting APC governors ahead of the 2027 elections, arguing that no minister should assume authority over elected governors.
They also rejected what they described as the “rainbow (chameleon) coalition” in the South-east, warning that the APC would resist any attempt to undermine its structures in the region.
They declared that the APC was “bigger than any individual” and urged members to support the party’s candidates from President Bola Tinubu to the state Houses of Assembly in the 2027 elections.
The South-east APC leaders added: “We in the South-east stand solidly with all Progressive Governors and candidates of our party at all levels in the forthcoming 2027 elections.
“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 called on Wike to withdraw his attacks on the governors and return to “party discipline, mutual respect and collective responsibility”.