A promoter of the Tinubu Continuity Project, Yusuf Musa, has revealed that some APC governors are exploring an alliance with Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, to counter Nyesom Wike's Rainbow Coalition. This coalition is seen as a campaign structure for President Bola Tinubu's re-election. Musa, an APC member and Arewa Consultative Forum chieftain, stated that the proposed alliance does not imply the governors are leaving the APC but are seeking alternative political relationships.
Musa disclosed that the governors are not considering leaving the APC but are exploring an alliance with Atiku Abubakar. He argued that if President Tinubu and the APC leadership fail to intervene in the coalition dispute, the governors might proceed with the proposed alliance. Musa claimed that the governors' political future is being threatened by Wike's actions, and they may build alternative political relationships outside the ruling party.
Wike's Rainbow Coalition has been a point of contention within the APC, with governors opposing the arrangement, fearing it could undermine the party and its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections. The coalition, initially established in Rivers State, has expanded to other parts of the country. APC governors have alleged that Wike is using the coalition to support politicians who lost the party's primaries and are now contesting elections on the PDP platform.
The APC Governors Forum, chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, has rejected the coalition, stating that governors will not support any arrangement that could undermine the party and its candidates. Wike has accused the governors of opposing the coalition due to selfish reasons, specifically naming Governors Uzodimma, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State as opponents.
The PDP has backed Wike's continued mobilisation for President Tinubu's re-election, despite fielding its own presidential candidate, Sandy Onor. The APC South-East caucus and other mobilisation groups within the party have rejected the coalition, asking Wike to apologise to the party's governors over his comments.
Musa stated that the governors are confident that President Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election but fear that the coalition could undermine their campaign structures if Tinubu has indeed ceded nine states to Wike's group. Wike previously denied that Tinubu ceded nine states to his coalition for the governorship, National Assembly, and state assembly elections.
Musa predicted that politicians aligned with the coalition could defect to the APC after winning governorship and legislative elections in their respective states. He referenced recent defections of governors from opposition parties to the APC as examples of such political realignments. Atiku's spokesperson, Paul Ibe, declined to comment on the matter.
Key points
- APC governors explore alliance with Atiku Abubakar to counter Wike's Rainbow Coalition.
- The proposed alliance does not imply the governors are leaving the APC.
- Musa predicts politicians aligned with Wike's coalition could defect to the APC after winning elections.
