A group, the Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Independent Support Movement, has expressed concern over comments by the Chairman of the All Progressives Governors’ Forum (APGF) and Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, distancing APC governors from any coalition or alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Uzodimma, who spoke after the APC governors’ meeting in Abuja on Monday night, said governors elected on the platform of the party had not entered into any formal agreement with individuals or opposition parties ahead of the elections.

However, the group said the emerging political landscape required broad-based support, strategic partnerships and cooperation among political actors to secure victory for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Musa Mohammed, on Tuesday, the group said the APC remained the political platform of the President, but argued that support for his re-election extended beyond the structures of the ruling party.

It cited the Rainbow Coalition movement, being championed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as an example of a political initiative that had openly expressed support for Tinubu.

The group said political support for the President should not be restricted to the formal structures of the APC, arguing that efforts by political actors and support movements outside the party to mobilise support for Tinubu should be encouraged rather than viewed with suspicion.

It said, “Rather than weakening or disowning such alliances, the APC leadership should encourage every genuine effort aimed at expanding the President’s support base and delivering victory for the Renewed Hope agenda in 2027.”

The group further warned that Uzodimma’s comments, if interpreted as a rejection of working relationships with alliance parties and independent support movements, could create divisions within the wider political coalition supporting the President.

“At a time when the President needs every genuine supporter committed to the success of his administration and re-election, the focus should be on building bridges, not erecting political barriers,” it said.

It maintained that the 2027 election would not be won through the APC’s formal structures alone, but would require the mobilisation of political stakeholders, grassroots organisations, support movements and other Nigerians behind the President’s achievements and vision.

The group therefore urged the APC leadership and other stakeholders to exercise caution in their public statements to avoid alienating individuals and organisations supporting the President’s re-election.

“President Tinubu’s re-election should be treated as a national political project that requires inclusiveness, strategic cooperation and unity of purpose.

“Any action or rhetoric that fragments this emerging support base could ultimately work against the very objective the APC seeks to achieve in 2027,” the group added.