•Tinubu and Wike
The State Coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA) have cautioned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, against political arrangements they said could weaken the All Progressives Congress (APC) and disrupt the commitment of the party’s governors to President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.
The coordinators, in a statement signed by representatives from different geopolitical zones, said they welcomed support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid from Nigerians across political divides, but warned that such support should not undermine the APC, its candidates or existing party structures.
They expressed support for the position of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), saying APC governors had made their commitment clear to President Tinubu and the party’s candidates at all levels, reports Daily Independent.
The group raised concerns over the emerging Rainbow Coalition, noting that while different support groups could mobilise for the President, parallel political structures should not create confusion or compete with existing APC grassroots organisations.
“Minister Wike is entitled to mobilise support for President Tinubu. He has made it clear that the coalition is separate from the APC and is intended to mobilise support for the president across political parties,” the statement said.
“But if that mobilisation begins to work against APC candidates or creates competing centres of political authority in states and local communities, then it is reasonable for APC leaders and governors to draw a clear line.”
The coordinators argued that a presidential campaign could not succeed by weakening the political structures expected to deliver electoral support, stressing that APC governors had responsibilities to their party, candidates and states.
They said the Renewed Hope Ambassadors had been building grassroots mobilisation structures across the country, including national and zonal leadership, 774 local government areas, 8,809 wards and polling units nationwide.
The group also referenced the 2023 general election, arguing that cross-party support arrangements recorded mixed outcomes in some states and constituencies, adding that presidential backing without a strong grassroots structure could produce fragmented results.
The coordinators urged Wike and other supporters of the president to work within a coordinated framework.
“Our message to Minister Wike is straightforward; support President Tinubu, by all means, but do not turn that support into a platform for undermining APC governors, APC candidates, or the party structures working at the grassroots,” they said.
They added that the 2027 election required unity among supporters of the President rather than internal competition over political mobilisation structures.
The statement was signed by representatives including Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh (Abia), Hon. Zachary Madiyi (Adamawa), Prince A. Ikim (Akwa Ibom), Amb. Tarzoor Terhemen (Benue), Chief Olajide Awe (Ekiti), and Hon. Musa Shuabu Mohammed (Jigawa), among others.
