Five APC Governors Now Supporting NDC – Fayose

Isaac Fayose, the younger brother of former governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, has claimed that five governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are secretly supporting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Fayose, however, alleged that the governors would not publicly identify with the opposition party because they remained members of the APC.

According to him, the governors had allegedly pledged financial support for the NDC’s electoral operations, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State, where he claimed they were opposed to the influence of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

“We now have five APC governors supporting NDC in this election. They’re not going to come out to campaign for us. They’re not going to say anything in public that will favour us, but under it they promise to sponsor this election,” Fayose said.

He claimed that the governors’ major concern was preventing Wike from securing electoral victories for the APC in the FCT and Rivers State.

Fayose further alleged that the governors had offered N200,000 to polling agents in each polling unit in the two areas to help protect the NDC’s votes against alleged manipulation.

“They are offering all our polling agents in Rivers State and FCT, they are offering you N200,000 per polling unit. If you can stand together against rigging, stand,” he said.

The former governor also alleged that the governors did not want their identities disclosed because of their membership of the APC.

“They don’t want their names to be in public because they are members of APC. But they don’t want Wike to rig FCT as planned. And they don’t want him to rig Rivers State,” he alleged.

Fayose’s claims come amid growing political realignments and tensions within the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

The APC Governors’ Forum had, however, recently declared that its members would not support political arrangements capable of weakening the party or undermining President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The forum’s chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo state, said after a closed-door meeting in Abuja that APC governors would not participate in or endorse any alliance that could adversely affect the party’s candidates.

“The APC Governors Forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of Mr President, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels,” Uzodimma said.

He further stated that the governors’ campaign commitment would remain exclusively with APC candidates, amid speculation over the political activities surrounding Wike’s emerging Rainbow Coalition.

Meanwhile, the NDC has intensified its preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, recently claiming that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would defeat Tinubu by a wider margin in Lagos than in 2023 if the election is free and fair.

The NDC’s Lagos Central senatorial candidate, Ladipo Johnson, also said the party had strengthened its political base through the alignment of different political groups, while identifying voter intimidation, harassment and vote-buying as potential challenges ahead of the election.