The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has claimed that several opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are supporting President Bola Tinubu’s bid for re-election in 2027.
Yilwatda made the claim in Abuja on Tuesday after meeting with Tinubu alongside Abdul’aziz Yari, Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. The meeting focused on preparations for the ruling party’s presidential campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The APC chairman named the PDP, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Accord Party as opposition parties backing Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
“PDP is with us, APGA is with us, Accord is with us,” Yilwatda said, adding that the parties had previously defeated the APC in elections. He identified the Allied Peoples Movement as an exception.
However, the PDP has rejected claims that it supports Tinubu’s re-election, maintaining its opposition to the APC-led Federal Government and its policies.
In a statement, the party also dismissed reports attributed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, suggesting that PDP candidates should dismantle their political structures and support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“The true and principled members of the Peoples Democratic Party are not part of the shameless, self-serving support for the APC-led Federal Government and its destructive policies,” the statement said.
The PDP argued that opposition parties should provide Nigerians with an alternative to the ruling government rather than support its continued stay in power. It added that any alliance among opposition parties should strengthen their collective position instead of benefiting the APC.
“If at all opposition parties are to have an alliance, it will be amongst themselves, not with the governing party,” the statement said.
The party also criticised the proposed “rainbow coalition,” warning that the arrangement could weaken political competition and undermine electoral democracy. It urged members to remain committed to the PDP while awaiting the outcome of its case before the Court of Appeal, which it said had already been heard.
