APC Governors Reportedly Consider Alliance With Atiku Amid Wike Dispute

Some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are reportedly considering a working relationship with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The development is said to be linked to growing disagreements between some APC governors and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his political activities ahead of the elections.

Yusuf Musa, an APC member, chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum and promoter of the Tinubu Continuity Project, disclosed this on Wednesday.

Musa said the reported discussions were being influenced by concerns that Wike’s Rainbow Coalition could affect the electoral fortunes of APC candidates in some states.

According to him, the governors are not considering leaving the ruling party but may explore political alliances outside the APC to safeguard their interests in the 2027 elections.

“The APC governors believe they should also be free to explore alternative political relationships if Wike could mobilise politicians from different parties against their interests while simultaneously supporting Tinubu at the presidential level,” Musa said.

The reported engagement with Atiku comes amid an increasingly strained relationship between Wike and some APC governors over his mobilisation efforts for the 2027 polls.

Wike, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who currently serves in the APC-led Federal Government, has declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term.

However, he has maintained that supporting Tinubu for the presidency does not mean he must back APC candidates contesting governorship and legislative seats.

The position has raised concerns among some APC governors, who fear that political structures being assembled in their respective states could eventually support candidates contesting against the ruling party.

The APC Governors’ Forum, chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, has opposed political arrangements it believes could undermine the party’s prospects in the 2027 elections.

Wike has also criticised some of those opposed to his political activities, including Uzodimma, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun.

Musa said the governors could be forced to develop alternative political alliances if Tinubu and the APC leadership failed to resolve the disagreement.

“If President Tinubu and the APC leadership cannot rein in Wike, then what stops the governors whose political future is being threatened from building alternative political relationships outside the ruling party,” he said.

Musa had earlier raised similar concerns during an appearance on TVC’s Breakfast Show, warning that Wike’s political activities could further deepen divisions within the APC.

“If he doesn’t retrace his steps and allow us to campaign in peace, we are going to make this country very hot for him,” Musa said.

Governors’ Concerns Focused On State Elections

Musa said the governors’ concerns were not primarily about Tinubu’s chances of securing another presidential term but about the potential impact of Wike’s political coalition on governorship and legislative contests in their states.

“The governors are not entertaining any fears that Tinubu will not win his re-election. However, their fears are rooted in Wike’s claims that the President had already ceded nine states to his coalition in the governorship and legislative elections,” he said.

Wike has denied that Tinubu ceded nine states to his coalition. He has, however, said the President is aware of his political mobilisation efforts and their objectives.

Musa further argued that candidates supported by Wike could potentially win elections on opposition platforms and subsequently defect to the APC.

“The governors are not unmindful of the fact that Tinubu will not be seeking another election after 2027 and that it would cost him practically nothing to cede some states, as Wike claimed,” he said.

“With the fluid nature of Nigerian politics, it would take these Wike-aligned coalition politicians nothing to defect to the APC after winning the 2027 governorship and legislative elections in their respective states.”

He cited the movement of governors in Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Enugu, Adamawa, Kano and Rivers from opposition parties to the APC as an indication of how political alignments can change after elections.

The reported engagement with Atiku therefore appears, based on Musa’s account, to be an attempt by some APC governors to protect their political interests rather than an indication that they are preparing to leave the ruling party.

Atiku is expected to pursue the presidency in 2027 under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).