Ima Niboro, spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign council, has urged FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and APC governors to shift their attention from public disagreements to grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 election.

Niboro made the appeal on Wednesday during an appearance on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, describing the disagreement between Wike and the governors as an internal political dispute that should not distract from the campaign.

His comments followed a recent exchange between Wike and the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum over political mobilisation for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Wike had criticised APC governors as “politically lazy” after they rejected his proposed cross-party arrangement aimed at mobilising wider support for Tinubu ahead of 2027.

The Progressive Governors’ Forum chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, had earlier stated that APC governors would not support any arrangement that could weaken the party or affect its candidates.

Uzodimma maintained that the governors remained committed to supporting APC candidates at all levels.

Wike subsequently questioned the political records of some APC governors, including Uzodimma, while arguing that his own focus was on building support for Tinubu rather than interfering in state-level contests.

Responding to the dispute, Niboro said the political actors involved should spend less time trading words publicly and concentrate on demonstrating their influence among voters.

“When I said tone down the rhetoric, I do not mean stop working. Stop talking, go and work,” he said.

According to him, political leaders should strengthen their structures, engage voters directly and establish their influence within their respective political bases.

Niboro urged them to move beyond television appearances and political exchanges by engaging people in communities, markets and other grassroots spaces.

“All this shouting is not taking anybody anywhere. Go and work. Go and establish your authority on your political base,” he said.

He added that political leaders should focus on winning public support through direct engagement rather than relying on what he described as “high-sounding grammar.”

Niboro stressed that his position was not that Wike or the APC governors should surrender their respective political interests.

Rather, he said, they should demonstrate their influence through actual mobilisation and engagement with voters.

“If you’re a political leader, stop talking. Go and work. That is my point,” he said.