Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has weighed in on the growing disagreement between governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the latter’s Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The dispute centres on the political activities of the coalition, which Wike has said is mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while allowing its members to support candidates from different political parties in other elections.
The APC Governors’ Forum, however, has rejected political alliances or arrangements it believes could undermine the party, its candidates or the President’s re-election bid. The governors’ position was announced by the forum’s chairman, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, following a meeting in Abuja.
Wike subsequently defended the coalition, maintaining that his support for Tinubu does not amount to an agreement to support APC candidates in other electoral contests. He has also argued that political parties remain free to field candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
Against this backdrop, Kalu, in a video shared on his official Facebook page on Friday, September 18, said the APC governors had grounds to oppose the sponsorship of alternative candidates in their respective states.
Kalu said he would adopt a similar position if he were a governor confronted with a rival political structure seeking to field an alternative candidate against his party’s candidate.
READ ALSO; Wike–APC governors’ rift exposes Tinubu’s 2027 power struggle
“Some governors have a very good case. I cannot be a governor and you are sponsoring an alternative candidate in my state. I will not allow that to happen,” he said.
Despite backing the governors’ position on the issue of alternative candidates, Kalu called for reconciliation between the two sides, arguing that both the APC Governors’ Forum and Wike have important roles to play in the political mobilisation ahead of 2027.
He appealed to the governors and the FCT minister to de-escalate their disagreement and concentrate on grassroots mobilisation.
“We should not quarrel at this time of our campaign. Campaign is not done in Abuja, so we should go back to the grassroots,” Kalu said.
He further urged both sides to “pull their swords back”, stressing that the political strengths of the governors and Wike should be deployed toward the broader campaign effort.
“We need the governors’ forum very well and we also need Minister Wike very well. I think the governors have their own strengths and Minister Wike has his own strengths too,” he said.
The disagreement has emerged as political actors begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections. While the APC Governors’ Forum has emphasised the need to protect the party’s structures and candidates, Wike has maintained that the Rainbow Coalition is primarily focused on mobilising support for Tinubu at the presidential level.
The development has also drawn reactions from other APC stakeholders. The party’s South-East leadership recently backed the APC governors and called for support for the party’s candidates at all levels, further underscoring the competing positions surrounding the coalition.
For Kalu, however, the immediate priority is for the contending political actors to resolve their differences and take their campaign activities to the grassroots rather than allowing the disagreement to deepen.