2027 Politics: Opposition Parties Throw Weight Behind Tinubu As Wike, Soludo, Adeleke Join APC Campaign Council

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Accord have expressed support for the involvement of their prominent members in President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign, following their appointments to the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.

The appointments involve Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo; and Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, all of whom belong to opposition parties.

The development comes after APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, confirmed that the ruling party had reached out to political figures outside its ranks to seek support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

Reacting to Wike’s appointment, the PDP said the minister had previously received the party’s approval to work with the President, making his inclusion in the campaign council unsurprising.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, explained that Wike had been given the party’s blessing to cooperate with Tinubu’s administration during the tenure of former PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum.

Mohammed stressed that Wike’s decision to support the President did not mean he had joined the APC, adding that the minister was working for Tinubu rather than the ruling party itself.

According to him, the PDP had accepted Wike’s involvement with the current administration from the beginning, and his appointment to the presidential campaign council was consistent with that position.

APGA has also endorsed Soludo’s appointment as the Anambra State coordinator of Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign, describing the development as recognition of the governor’s leadership and political influence.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opara, the party congratulated Soludo and reaffirmed its support for Tinubu’s re-election.

APGA recalled that it adopted Tinubu as its consensus presidential candidate at its National Executive Committee meeting on May 8, 2025, during the President’s working visit to Anambra State. The party said it would therefore not present a presidential candidate in the 2027 election.

The party maintained, however, that its support for Tinubu would not prevent it from contesting other positions and campaigning for its candidates at the senatorial, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly levels.

It also expressed confidence that Soludo’s political experience and organisational capacity would help mobilise support for Tinubu, while describing cooperation between the Anambra State and Federal Government as beneficial to the state’s development.

Meanwhile, Accord chieftain Bamidele Salam has welcomed Adeleke’s appointment to coordinate Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Osun State. Salam represents Ede South, Ede North, Ejigbo and Egbedore Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Yilwatda had earlier disclosed that the APC approached Adeleke after losing the Osun governorship election to him, seeking his support for Tinubu’s re-election. He also said the party appealed to Soludo and Wike to work towards the President’s electoral victory.

The APC chairman explained that the party’s outreach was motivated by national interest and the desire to build support beyond its membership.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the appointments have highlighted the growing political alliances ahead of the 2027 general election, with the ruling party seeking support from influential politicians across party lines.

Wike, for his part, has insisted that his Rainbow Coalition will remain active despite reported disagreements with some APC governors over the group’s political activities.

Speaking during his monthly media briefing in Abuja, the FCT minister dismissed suggestions that the coalition posed a threat to the APC or could trigger defections within the ruling party.

The Rainbow Coalition brings together APC members and supporters of Tinubu from other political parties to promote the President’s re-election. Wike has maintained that supporting Tinubu does not require him to support every APC candidate in other elections.

The position has reportedly created friction with some APC governors, including Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum. Uzodimma has maintained that APC governors would campaign for the party’s candidates at all levels and would not support arrangements capable of weakening the party.

Wike recently accused Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of contributing to some of the political challenges he faces, linking the disagreements to the Rainbow Coalition’s activities and its support for politicians contesting against APC candidates.

Despite the tension, Wike insisted that the coalition was not a new political arrangement and would not be abandoned. He challenged those opposed to it to address their grievances directly rather than blame the group.

The minister explained that the coalition was intended to unite APC members and non-APC supporters of Tinubu around the common objective of securing the President’s re-election.

Using the Federal Capital Territory as an example, Wike said coalition members could support Tinubu in the presidential election while making independent choices in National Assembly contests.

He argued that political cooperation across party lines was not unusual in Nigeria, adding that the arrangement had become more visible because of the approaching 2027 elections.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the positions taken by the PDP, APGA and Accord, alongside Wike’s determination to sustain the Rainbow Coalition, reflect the increasingly complex alliances shaping the political landscape ahead of the next general election.