A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, Chief Samson Nnamani, has urged governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to distinguish support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election from contests involving other offices.
Nnamani, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday, said support for Tinubu could extend beyond APC structures and involve politicians from different political parties.
His comments followed opposition from the Progressive Governors’ Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, to the Rainbow Coalition being promoted by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to mobilise support for Tinubu.
The APC governors have said they would not support political arrangements capable of weakening the party or undermining its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Nnamani, however, argued that supporting Tinubu at the presidential level did not prevent politicians from backing candidates of their respective parties in governorship and legislative contests.
He described the Rainbow Coalition as a multi-party presidential mobilisation platform rather than a merger or arrangement aimed at weakening the APC.
According to him, members of the coalition could retain their party identities and political interests while supporting Tinubu for president.
“The Rainbow Coalition is not an APC project, neither is it a platform designed to destroy or weaken the APC. It is a broad-based political mobilisation platform for Nigerians and politicians from different political parties who have decided to support President Bola Tinubu for the presidency in 2027,” Nnamani said.
He also cited the 2023 elections, when members of the PDP’s G5 supported Tinubu’s presidential bid while their parties and allies contested other positions.
Nnamani said the same pattern could occur in 2027, arguing that voters could make separate choices in presidential, governorship and legislative elections.
Wike has similarly maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is separate from the APC and is focused on Tinubu’s presidential re-election, while political parties remain free to field candidates for other elective positions.
