Three opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Accord, have expressed support for prominent members appointed to work for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 general election.
The politicians are the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike; Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo; and Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, who have been assigned roles in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council despite their different party affiliations.
The APC announced the appointments on Tuesday as part of efforts to expand its campaign structure and mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
The party’s National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, disclosed that the ruling party had reached out to opposition figures to secure their backing for the President’s re-election.
Reacting to Wike’s inclusion, the PDP said the FCT minister had previously received the party’s approval to work with Tinubu’s administration.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, said Wike’s appointment was consistent with the party’s earlier position.
“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,” Mohammed said.
He added that Wike was supporting the President rather than working for the APC as a political party.
“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,” he stated.
Wike remains a prominent PDP member despite his cooperation with the APC-led Federal Government, a political arrangement that has continued to generate debate within the opposition and ruling parties.
Similarly, APGA reaffirmed its support for Tinubu following Soludo’s appointment as the Anambra State coordinator of the President’s 2027 campaign.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opara, the party congratulated Soludo and described his appointment as recognition of his leadership and commitment to cooperation between the state and the Federal Government.
APGA also recalled that it adopted Tinubu as its consensus presidential candidate at its National Executive Committee meeting and during the President’s working visit to Anambra on May 8, 2025.
The party said it would not present a presidential candidate in 2027 in line with that decision.
According to APGA, Soludo’s position that “Progressives are working together” reflects the existing political understanding between the party and the APC-led Federal Government.
However, the party clarified that its support for Tinubu would not prevent it from campaigning for its candidates contesting legislative positions.
“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,” the statement said.
The party expressed confidence that Soludo would use his political experience and influence across the South-East to mobilise support for Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In Osun State, Accord chieftain Bamidele Salam also welcomed Adeleke’s appointment to lead Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the state. Salam represents Ede South/Ede North/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
Yilwatda had earlier explained that the APC approached Adeleke after losing the Osun governorship election to him, seeking his support for Tinubu’s second-term bid.
“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,” the APC chairman said.
He also disclosed that the ruling party approached Soludo after its defeat in Anambra State and reached out to Wike to help mobilise support in Rivers State and the FCT.
Yilwatda maintained that the outreach was driven by national interest rather than party considerations.
“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 added.
Meanwhile, Wike has insisted that his Rainbow Coalition will remain active ahead of the 2027 elections, dismissing suggestions that the political group poses a threat to the APC.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister explained that the coalition brings together APC members and supporters of Tinubu from other political parties.
He also maintained that supporting Tinubu for president does not necessarily mean supporting every APC candidate in other elections.
Wike’s position has reportedly put him at odds with some APC governors, including Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum and has maintained that the party’s governors would campaign for APC candidates at all levels.
Responding to the controversy surrounding the coalition, Wike insisted that the group was established to unite supporters of the President across party lines.
“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,” he said.
He explained that the coalition allows people who support Tinubu but belong to different political parties to work towards a common objective.
“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,” Wike stated.
“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,” he added.
The minister further argued that political cooperation across party lines was not new in Nigeria, although the arrangement had become more prominent with the 2027 general election approaching.
“When you say a new thing that never happened, I don’t think so,” he said.
The development highlights the growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, as the APC seeks to broaden Tinubu’s support base while opposition parties navigate the involvement of some of their prominent members in the President’s re-election campaign.
