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| Photo Credit: President Bola Tinubu with Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar |
Reports circulating in political circles indicate that some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors are quietly exploring contacts with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The moves appear driven by unease over the activities of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and his emerging Rainbow Coalition.
Wike has positioned the Rainbow Coalition as a vehicle of support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid. He has repeatedly emphasised, however, that this backing is focused on the presidential race and does not automatically extend to APC candidates in governorship and legislative contests. According to multiple sources who spoke to journalists on Tuesday, this distinction has unsettled some APC governors who fear the coalition could weaken their own political structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
One promoter of the Tinubu Continuity Project in Northern Nigeria claimed that dissatisfied governors have begun weighing alternative arrangements, including possible engagement with Atiku. The source stated that the governors are not primarily worried about Tinubu’s own electoral prospects. Their concern centres on claims attributed to Wike that the President has already “ceded” certain states to the coalition for the governorship races.
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Because Tinubu will not be seeking office again after 2027, the argument goes, he may have less personal incentive at the state level.
A member of the Arewa Mandate Alliance offered a similar assessment, noting that the governors object to Wike building competing political networks in their states while simultaneously campaigning for the President. In states where politicians who lost APC primaries or became estranged from the party hierarchy have gravitated toward the Rainbow Coalition, the tension is said to be particularly acute.
Sources further point to the staggered 2027 election timetable as a key factor shaping calculations. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for 16 January 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections follow on 6 February—roughly three weeks later. This gap creates space for different strategic considerations at the state level regardless of the presidential outcome.
What this means in the broader picture
Nigerian politics has long featured fluid alliances, post-election defections, and competing power centres within the same ruling party. The reported contacts, if accurate, illustrate how state-level incumbents prioritise control of their local structures even when they remain aligned with the President nationally. Whether these explorations develop into formal realignments remains unclear; anonymous sourcing is common in such stories and should be treated with appropriate caution until more concrete evidence emerges.
The situation underscores ongoing friction between Wike’s cross-party mobilisation style and the traditional APC governors’ forum. It also highlights the ADC’s potential role as a secondary network for politicians seeking leverage or insurance ahead of 2027.
Readers interested in the evolving 2027 landscape should watch for any public statements from the governors involved, the APC Governors’ Forum, or confirmed meetings rather than relying solely on unnamed sources.
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