By AnchorNews Reporter

ABUJA - The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance and Accord are backing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Yilwatda made the claim on Tuesday after briefing Tinubu on preparations for the formal launch of the APC presidential campaign in Kaduna on Saturday, October 24. He was accompanied by the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdul’aziz Yari.

The APC chairman said preparations for the campaign flag-off had been completed, adding that party members, state chapters and campaign committees were ready for the exercise.

According to him, the reported support of the three political parties reflects growing backing for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

“If you look at what the party is doing now, the opposition parties are with us. All political parties that have defeated us in any election are with us; PDP is with us, APGA is with us, Accord is with us,” Yilwatda said.

He added that the Allied Peoples Movement was the exception among parties that had defeated the APC in previous elections.

Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, said the APC presidential campaign would focus on the achievements of the Tinubu administration rather than personal attacks against political opponents.

He explained that the campaign council intended to present the government’s record to Nigerians and appeal for another mandate to sustain its policies.

“We are going to do a campaign with the records – a responsible campaign, no insults, no calling of names,” Yari stated.

He said Tinubu had approved the campaign timetable, including planned visits to states, following a meeting with the President on October 9.

The APC Presidential Campaign Council was inaugurated on October 14, with Tinubu as chairman and Vice President Kashim Shettima and Yilwatda serving as vice chairmen.

However, the claim of broad opposition support has been challenged by a faction of the PDP led by Tanimu Turaki, which has rejected any alliance with the ruling party.

The Turaki-led faction, through its National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, said on Tuesday that genuine PDP members would not support Tinubu’s re-election or endorse the policies of the APC-led Federal Government.

The faction also criticised efforts to bring opposition parties into an alliance with the APC, describing the proposed arrangement as a threat to electoral democracy.

It maintained that the primary responsibility of opposition parties was to provide Nigerians with an alternative to the incumbent government, rather than support its continuation in power.

The faction further urged PDP members to remain committed to the party as they await the Court of Appeal’s decision in the ongoing leadership dispute.

Meanwhile, Accord’s presidential candidate, Christopher Imumolen, reportedly withdrew from the presidential race in a statement issued on August 5 and endorsed Tinubu. APGA National Chairman, Sly Ezeokenwa, had also stated in March that the party would not field a presidential candidate and intended to adopt the President.

In another development, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who has declared himself leader of the PDP, vowed to ensure APC votes in the FCT and Rivers State.

His position, however, remains contested by the Turaki-led faction, which disputes his authority within the PDP and has rejected the suggestion that the party should support Tinubu.

With the 2027 general elections approaching, the conflicting positions within the opposition and the APC’s claims of growing political support are likely to feature prominently in the emerging campaign landscape.