Uzodimma is leading charge for Tinubu in South East but Wike’s ‘Rainbow Coalition entered Imo and bypassed him- Ukpai

The South-East Coordinator of the Kwankwaso National Network (KNN) and chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Ukpai Iro Ukpai, has questioned the political significance of the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu by five South-East governors ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In an interview with The Sun, Ukpai argued that the governors’ endorsement did not necessarily reflect the position of the people of the region, insisting that the political interests of a few privileged individuals should not be confused with the democratic choices of millions of South-East voters.

He pointed out that Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, had distanced himself from the declaration made by his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodimma.

Ukpai described the electorate in the South-East as politically conscious, independent-minded and generally opposed to established political interests, arguing that voters would make their own decisions regardless of their governors’ political positions.

He stressed that each governor had only one vote during an election, noting that holding political office did not give governors the power to determine how their constituents would vote.

Ukpai also drew attention to what he described as a contradiction in the political situation, observing that while some APC governors in the South-East were publicly endorsing Tinubu, federal government officials and political actors were allegedly working against those same governors in their respective states.

Further talking, he said, “Take a look at the serious tension in Imo State right now. Governor Hope Uzodimma is supposedly leading the charge for the President in the South East, yet Wike’s ‘Rainbow Coalition’ is actively entering Imo, bypassing the governor’s structure, and organising aggrieved politicians who have an axe to grind with the State chief executive. This is happening nationwide.”

Ukpai argued that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was attempting to pursue two conflicting political strategies by seeking to benefit from the influence and political structures of the South-East governors while also relying on the aggressive, cross-party coalition allegedly being built by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to accommodate and draw in aggrieved members of the party.

He warned that the approach could create serious political instability, describing it as a recipe for political anarchy.

Ukpai said the level of internal disagreement within the ruling party, particularly in areas regarded as its strongholds, barely 64 days before the election, raised questions about the strength of its political dominance. He maintained that the divisions suggested that the party’s perceived control might not be as firmly established as it appeared.

He further argued that the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu by APC governors was undermined by what he described as the President’s support for a parallel political coalition allegedly working to weaken the governors’ influence in their respective states.

According to him, the governors were beginning to realise that their efforts to secure political support for Tinubu at the national level could come at the expense of their own political structures and influence back home. He said they had, in the process, weakened their positions while attempting to protect the President’s political interests.

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