2027: APC Governors Should Find Working Arrangement With Wike — Okotie-Eboh

By Our Correspondent

Former Regent of the Warri Kingdom and son of Nigeria’s first Minister of Finance, Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, Prince Emmanuel Okotie-Eboh, has urged governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to seek a working relationship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, rather than allow their differences to degenerate into public confrontation.

Okotie-Eboh made the call against the backdrop of the recent disagreement between Wike and the APC Governors’ Forum over the proposed Rainbow Coalition, which Wike has described as a cross-party platform established principally to mobilise support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Speaking with journalists in Warri, Delta State, Prince Emma Okotie-Eboh argued that the present political environment requires greater coordination among political actors supporting President Tinubu, rather than what he described as unnecessary political confrontation and public exchanges.

He maintained that, from Wike’s explanation, the Rainbow Coalition is not designed to replace the APC or determine who wins governorship and legislative elections in the states, but to build a wider support base for Tinubu across political parties.

Wike has similarly stated that the coalition is separate from the APC and that the PDP can still field candidates for other elections in 2027. According to Okotie-Eboh, APC governors should therefore distinguish between support for the President at the federal level and competition among political parties at the state and legislative levels.

He said political actors could support the same presidential candidate while retaining their respective party identities and contesting other elections independently.

He urged the governors to engage Wike through dialogue and political consultation, arguing that public disagreements could complicate efforts to build a broad support base for the President ahead of 2027.

Wike, on his part, has maintained that his political activities are focused on supporting Tinubu’s re-election. In his recent response to the APC Governors’ Forum, he said he had not promised that the PDP would refrain from fielding candidates in governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

The APC Governors’ Forum, however, has taken a different position. Its chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, said the governors would not support any political arrangement they believe could weaken the APC, undermine its candidates or adversely affect the President’s re-election effort.

The disagreement has consequently raised a broader question about how a cross-party presidential mobilisation structure would coexist with the APC’s own political machinery as the 2027 elections approach.

Okotie-Eboh argued that the issue should be handled through internal engagement rather than public confrontation. In his view, the central objective for supporters of the President should be to expand the presidential support base while allowing individual political parties to organise and compete for offices at the state and legislative levels.

He also pointed to Wike’s political history, particularly his role in the G5 during the 2023 presidential election, when he and other members of the group supported Tinubu despite belonging to the PDP. Okotie-Eboh said that history illustrates the possibility of political actors crossing party lines on a presidential question while retaining their identities within their respective parties.

Beyond the political debate, Okotie-Eboh also cited Wike’s tenure as FCT Minister as part of his argument. Since his appointment in 2023, the FCT Administration has pursued programmes involving infrastructure, urban renewal, satellite-town development, transportation, revenue mobilisation and restoration of elements of the Abuja Master Plan.

He said the development activities in the Federal Capital Territory have provided Wike with a visible role within the Tinubu administration and argued that APC governors should similarly concentrate on delivering measurable development in their respective states.

Okotie-Eboh further referred to the 2023 elections as evidence that Nigerian voters can vote differently across presidential, senatorial and other electoral contests. The Independent National Electoral Commission maintains official results for the 2023 presidential, governorship and legislative elections, providing the basis for examining such voting patterns.

“Politics is about numbers, not party ego,” he said, arguing that political parties should recognise that supporters of different parties can converge around a presidential candidate without necessarily abandoning their parties.

He maintained that the Rainbow Coalition should therefore be understood within the context of presidential mobilisation, while acknowledging that concerns about its possible impact on APC structures and state-level contests remain part of the ongoing political debate.

As the 2027 political season gathers momentum, the disagreement between Wike and some APC governors is likely to remain an important part of discussions surrounding the organisation of support for President Tinubu.

For Okotie-Eboh, however, the immediate priority should be dialogue, coordination and cooperation rather than confrontation, with political actors focusing on their respective responsibilities while seeking areas of common interest, stating that he doesn’t think wike would want to destroy the house he help to build.