The political disagreement between Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Progressive Governors’ Forum has widened, with party leaders offering competing views over the minister’s role in President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election effort.
The latest development came from the South-East, where the APC National Vice Chairman for the zone, Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu, joined the chairmen of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states in backing the position of the Progressive Governors’ Forum.
The South-East APC leaders rejected Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, which they argued could weaken the party’s candidates during the 2027 elections.
Their intervention followed Wike’s criticism of APC governors after they rejected his proposed cross-party political arrangement for mobilising support for Tinubu.
Wike has maintained that the coalition he is helping to build is fully committed to Tinubu’s re-election. He also accused some APC governors of failing to do enough politically, citing the president’s performance in Imo during the 2023 presidential election as an example.
The South-East APC leaders, however, described Wike’s attacks on the governors as unacceptable and insisted that the governors had records of development and electoral performance to point to.
They further accused the FCT minister of attempting to weaken the political positions of sitting APC governors ahead of 2027.
According to the group, the APC would resist efforts to undermine its structures in the South-East and remain committed to candidates running under its platform, from the presidency to the state Houses of Assembly.
A former minority leader of the House of Representatives and founding APC member in Jigawa State, Farouk Aliyu, also criticised Wike’s description of APC governors as “lazy.”
Speaking on Arise TV, Aliyu said APC members rejected the characterisation and argued that Wike’s contribution to Tinubu’s 2023 victory should not translate into a licence to publicly attack party leaders.
Aliyu acknowledged Wike’s role in the 2023 election and praised his performance as FCT minister, but argued that the minister had already been adequately rewarded for his political support through his appointment to the federal cabinet.
He urged APC members not to allow the dispute to distract the party from governance and preparations for the 2027 elections. Aliyu also appealed to Wike to moderate his public comments, saying attacks on APC figures could further heighten political tensions beyond the party itself.
However, the disagreement has also exposed divisions within APC over how the party should relate to Wike. Kano lawmaker Abdulmumin Jibrin defended the FCT minister, warning APC governors against publicly embarrassing him.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Jibrin argued that Wike had contributed significantly to Tinubu’s political success and that APC members had benefited directly or indirectly from his efforts.
He described Wike as an asset to the president and the APC, while saying the minister should not be subjected to public embarrassment over his political activities.
Jibrin’s comments came as some APC governors questioned Wike’s decision to promote a national coalition in support of Tinubu while remaining a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Meanwhile, the office of Vice President Kashim Shettima has moved to clarify comments attributed to him concerning Northern governors and their support for Tinubu.
In a statement, the Vice President’s media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, said Shettima’s reference to six Northern governors related specifically to political consultations and alignments before the APC presidential primary in June 2022.
He said the remarks were not intended to suggest that Northern APC governors failed to support Tinubu after he became the party’s presidential candidate.
According to the statement, Northern APC governors subsequently rallied behind Tinubu during the 2023 presidential campaign and contributed to the party’s electoral efforts.
Shettima, the statement added, holds the Northern governors and other APC leaders in high regard and recognises their contributions to the party’s success.
The clarification comes as political alignments ahead of the 2027 election continue to generate debate within and around the ruling party.
