Three opposition political parties have backed the inclusion of their chieftains in the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council to re-elect President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
The parties — the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance and Accord, expressed support for the roles assigned to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo; and his Osun State counterpart, Ademola Adeleke, in the ruling party’s revised campaign council.
The APC named the three politicians in its expanded Presidential Campaign Council on Tuesday, despite their affiliations with parties other than the ruling party.
This comes as the APC national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, while receiving the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola-led Savannah Centres for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, on Tuesday, confirmed that the ruling party appealed to Wike, Adeleke, Soludo and other opposition figures to support and work for Tinubu’s re-election.
While Wike is a prominent PDP chieftain, Soludo belongs to APGA, while Adeleke is a member of the Accord.
Their inclusion reflects the political alliances and cross-party relationships shaping the race ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH on Wike’s inclusion in the council, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, said the minister’s willingness to work with Tinubu was never in doubt.
He explained that the PDP had given Wike the go-ahead to support the President from the beginning of the current administration.
“The FCT minister got the blessing of the PDP during the era of its former National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to work with Mr President. His inclusion in the Presidential Campaign Council was therefore expected but this does not make him a member of the APC National Working Committee.
“Every political party including the PDP would like to have Mr Nyesom Wike in their campaign council, but the party had already endorsed his invitation to help the current administration from day one. He is working for President Tinubu and not for APC.”
APGA also welcomed Soludo’s appointment as the Anambra State coordinator of Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign, describing it as well deserved.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opara, the party congratulated the governor and reaffirmed its support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance heartily congratulates our National Leader and Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, on his well-deserved appointment as the Anambra State Coordinator of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.
“This appointment is a testament to Governor Soludo’s exemplary leadership, his uncommon commitment to progressive ideals, and his consistent advocacy for a strategic partnership between APGA and the Federal Government for the collective good of Ndi Anambra and Ndigbo at large.
“As a party, APGA has made its position clear. At our National Executive Committee meeting and during Mr President’s working visit to Anambra on May 8, 2025, we formally adopted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
“In line with this resolution, APGA did not field a presidential candidate for the 2027 election,” the statement read.
The party said Soludo’s appointment was consistent with its political position and its support for cooperation between APGA and the Federal Government.
It added that the governor’s message that “Progressives are working together” reflected a shared political outlook between the party and the ruling party.
“Governor Soludo’s mantra that ‘Progressives are working together’ is not just a slogan, but a statement of historical truth.
“APGA, as the first truly progressive party in Nigeria, shares ideological DNA with the progressive movement at the centre.
“This synergy has already yielded tangible dividends for Anambra State, including federal collaboration on critical infrastructural interventions and economic development enablers.”
Reaffirming its position ahead of the elections, APGA said it would continue to seek electoral victories for its candidates at the state and federal legislative levels while supporting Tinubu.
The statement further stressed that “while APGA remains firmly in control of Anambra State, our position remains: In Anambra, it is Tinubu for President, APGA for Senate, House of Representatives, and state House of Assembly.
“We are confident that Gov Soludo will bring his intellectual depth, organisational capacity, and wide acceptability across the Southeast to galvanise massive support for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Similarly, a chieftain of the Accord and member representing Ede South/Ede North/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency of Osun State, Bamidele Salam, described Adeleke’s appointment to lead Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Osun as “a welcome development.”
Salam’s reaction signals support for Adeleke’s campaign role despite the governor’s membership of the Accord Party rather than the APC.
Our appeal
The APC national chairman, Prof Yilwatda, confirmed that the ruling party had reached out to opposition leaders to seek their support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
He stated, “You see, the APC is doing a lot, and despite our achievements and accomplishments as a government, we are still not relaxing. We are not resting. We have been reaching out to all stakeholders, including our party members and even those who are not members of our party.
“In Osun State, we contested the election against the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, of the Accord. Our party lost that election, but we approached the governor. We begged him and asked him to work for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election. He agreed to work for the President’s re-election.
“In Anambra State, we also lost to the APGA candidate, the incumbent governor, Charles Soludo. But after the election, we went back and appealed to him because we know that he is a stakeholder in that state.
“We appealed to him to come and work for us, work for our party and support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election. He agreed to work for us.
“We did the same thing in other states, including Rivers State. We begged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Wike, to work for the party. He has agreed to work for the candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Rivers State and the FCT.”
Yilwatda said the APC’s efforts to secure support across party lines were driven by the national interest, stressing that the initiative was aimed at advancing the interests of the Federal Republic of Nigeria beyond partisan considerations.
“So, the party is moving. We are reaching out to Nigerians. We are not just relaxing and saying that we are delivering good governance or the dividends of democracy. No. We are reaching out to stakeholders to support our party across party lines.
“The interest goes beyond political parties. This is in the interest of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and that is why we are doing what we are doing,” he said.
‘Rainbow Coalition stays’
Meanwhile, Wike has insisted that the Rainbow Coalition will remain a feature of Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at his monthly media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike played down claims that the coalition had caused unease among APC governors or might trigger defections from the ruling party.
Wike has continued to promote the Rainbow Coalition in Rivers State and FCT in support of Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
He recently alleged that Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, were behind some of the political challenges confronting him, linking their opposition to the coalition’s growing influence and its support for politicians challenging APC candidates in governorship and senatorial elections.
Uzodimma, who chairs the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum, has said APC governors would not support any alliance capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election or weakening the party ahead of 2027, insisting that they would campaign for APC candidates at all levels.
Wike, however, maintained that his support for Tinubu’s presidential bid did not require him to back APC candidates in other elections, saying he remained free to support candidates of his choice, amid continued tensions between him and some APC governors.
Wike maintained that the Rainbow Coalition had come to stay, adding that, “If you have any problem against me, come out and face Wike. Don’t go under the Rainbow Coalition. For Rainbow Coalition, it has come. It will stay. There is nothing anybody can do about it.”
Wike, who oversees the coalition’s activities in Rivers State and the FCT, said it brings together APC members and supporters of President Tinubu from other political parties to work towards a common goal.
He said, “If you see that word, PBAT/APC, it means those who are supporting the President who are not members of the party, together with the party, are working together to achieve that purpose.
“The major thing is Mr President. Whatever we are going to do, whoever has any idea or anything to contribute is to the success of Mr President. That is the whole thing.”
Wike cited the FCT as an example of the coalition’s effectiveness, saying its members would support Tinubu in the 2027 election while backing APC candidates for the National Assembly.
He questioned why the arrangement should be considered problematic and dismissed suggestions that the political alliance was new to Nigeria.
Wike added, “When you say a new thing that never happened, I don’t think so,” adding that such backing had existed before without being formalised.
“But this time, it came out because of the period we are in,” he said.