LAGOS — The growing political disagreement between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has deepened, with party leaders offering sharply different positions on the minister’s role in the 2027 elections and his relationship with APC governors.
The APC leadership in the South-East has backed the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), demanding full party support for APC candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections while rejecting the emerging Rainbow Coalition associated with Wike.
The South-East APC said the coalition could undermine the party’s candidates, including President Bola Tinubu, despite Wike’s insistence that the coalition is committed to securing Tinubu’s re-election.
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while serving in Tinubu’s cabinet, has recently criticised some APC governors, accusing them of failing to do enough for the President during the 2023 presidential election.
He specifically questioned the electoral performance of Imo State, asking how the APC secured two Senate seats in the state in 2023 while Tinubu failed to secure a significant share of the presidential vote there.
The South-East APC, however, described Wike’s attacks on members of the PGF as “most unfortunate, reprehensible and completely unacceptable.”
In a joint statement by the APC National Vice Chairman (South-East), Ijeomah Arodiogbu, and the party chairmen in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states, the leaders said the PGF’s position was crucial to the party’s prospects in 2027.
The leaders argued that the governors being targeted by Wike had delivered development in their respective states and secured more than 25 per cent of the presidential vote in the 2023 election.
They described the governors as “performing leaders whose records speak for themselves” and accused Wike of attempting to weaken the political fortunes of serving APC governors ahead of the 2027 elections.
The South-East APC further maintained that no minister had authority over elected governors and called on Wike to withdraw what it described as attacks on members of the party.
The leaders also rejected the emerging Rainbow Coalition in the region, insisting that the APC would resist any attempt to undermine its structures.
Aliyu Slams Wike
Adding to the criticism, a founding APC member in Jigawa State and former House of Representatives minority leader, Farouk Aliyu, faulted Wike’s description of APC governors as “lazy.”
Speaking on Arise TV, Aliyu said APC members rejected the characterisation, while acknowledging Wike’s contribution to Tinubu’s 2023 electoral victory.
Aliyu argued that Wike had already been adequately rewarded for his political support through his appointment as FCT Minister, a position he said the minister had handled effectively.
He nevertheless criticised Wike’s public attacks on APC leaders, particularly Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Aliyu urged APC members not to allow the dispute to distract them from governing the country and running the party.
“I call on my party members not to join issues with Wike, let it not be a distraction to us. We have a party to run, we have a country to run,” he said.
He also appealed to Wike to exercise restraint in his public comments.
“There are certain things that as a government, people are not happy with us. So, it is very uncalled for, for someone that is trying to help us, to be insulting members of our party,” Aliyu added.
Jibrin Defends Wike
However, former House Committee on Appropriation Chairman and APC chieftain, Abdulmumin Jibrin, offered a contrasting position, warning APC governors against publicly embarrassing the FCT minister.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Jibrin defended Wike’s contribution to Tinubu’s emergence and the APC’s electoral fortunes.
“There is no APC member in Nigeria today that has not directly or indirectly benefited from the efforts of Wike,” he said.
Jibrin described Wike as an asset to the APC and argued that the minister had sacrificed considerably for President Tinubu and the administration.
“Wike is an asset to APC, he has sacrificed so much for the President and the APC. I don’t think Wike should be embarrassed at this moment with public statements,” he said.
His comments followed recent criticisms of Wike by some APC governors, particularly Uzodimma and AbdulRazaq, over his involvement in the Rainbow Coalition while remaining a PDP member.
Shettima Clarifies Northern Governors’ Support
Meanwhile, the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima has clarified remarks attributed to him concerning the support President Tinubu received from Northern governors before becoming the APC’s presidential candidate.
In a statement, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communication, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, said Shettima’s reference to six Northern governors who supported Tinubu was specifically about political consultations and alignments before the APC presidential primary in June 2022.
The statement stressed that the remarks were not intended to question the support of Northern APC governors after Tinubu emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.
It added that Northern APC governors subsequently rallied behind Tinubu during the 2023 presidential campaign and contributed to the party’s electoral efforts.
According to the statement, Shettima holds Northern governors and other APC leaders in high regard and recognises their contributions to Tinubu’s emergence and the party’s success.
The clarification comes as political activities and alignments intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the relationship between Wike, the APC governors and the emerging opposition coalition increasingly becoming a subject of political debate.
