Olushola Omogbehin
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has intervened in the war between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and governors of the ruling party over the “rainbow coalition,” due to the concerns that the confrontation could and complicate President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
This development was sequel to the trading of words between Wike and the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) over whether politicians from other political parties supporting Tinubu’s second term in office must also support APC candidates in other offices like governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
While the governors have said that their campaign machinery will be directed towards Tinubu and APC candidates at every level, Wike has replied that his support started and ends with President Tinubu and does not extend to other candidates of the ruling party.
Wike has also questioned the electoral strength of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma by telling every politician facing difficult contests in their states not to expect him to help them win.
As a result, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) told Daily Sun that the party would wade in through “multi-level engagement” to calm the situation and reconcile the competing political interests.
“Yes, they are working for the same purpose of facilitating the re-election of Mr President, but it does not mean that the rainbow coalition may not have their own agenda.
“If rainbow coalition wants to elect a candidate into the House of Assembly, who is not an APC candidate, what it means is that they are competing against the APC. Whatever rainbow coalition means, APC is a party, not a coalition,” he said.
He explained further that governors were concerned that the rainbow coalition could mobilise voters for Tinubu in the presidential election but turn the same political weapon against APC candidates further down the ballot.
“The only issue that the governors may be pointing to is to avoid a situation where the electorate will take instructions from the coalition to vote for non-APC candidates after voting for Mr President,” he said.
Meanwhile, the NWC member warned that the imbroglio needed to be taken away from the media and settled through political engagement.
“The situation requires a high level of strategic networking, not this media war, to streamline the arrangement and ensure that the people understand what they are doing.
“The fact that the coalition supports APC to elect President Tinubu does not mean therefore that APC members are supposed to vote for the candidates of other parties in the name of coalition. The party will definitely wade into it, but you know that it requires multi-level engagement,” he said.
The rejection of any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining APC candidates by Uzodimma threw the controversy into the open.
“The APC Governors 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.”
Maintaining that governors’ loyalty would extend beyond APC ticket, Uzodimma said:
“In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate because our candidates who are contesting the election are being sponsored by our party.
“The governors’ campaign commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates. All levels of the party campaign architecture will align with the expectations of Mr President and the strategic objectives of the party,” he said.
Insisting that no agreement existed requiring him or other opposition politicians supporting Tinubu to campaign for APC candidates, Wike said:
“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the re-election of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
“Most importantly, the rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term.
“I never met with the All Progressives Congress before myself and other members of the G5 supported the President in 2023. And for 2027, my support is for the President only,” he said.
Questioning Imo governor’s ability to mobilise votes for Tinubu, he said:
“In Imo State under Governor Hope Uzodimma, how did APC win two Senate seats in 2023, in an election held the same day with that of the President and APC had less than 15 per cent in the presidential election? Was it rainbow coalition? Were the voters confused?
“Was it rainbow coalition that also made APC to win National Assembly elections in Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu states where the President did not have 10 per cent of the votes?
“If in 2023, the voters in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi voted APC in the senatorial election and voted another party in the presidential election, they won’t be confused in 2027 provided we all support the President genuinely this time?” he said.
