The lingering disagreement between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has widened, with reports indicating divisions among the party’s 31 governors over the minister’s political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to reports, some governors are sympathetic to Wike’s position, while others have aligned with the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, and the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
A senior party source was quoted as saying that not all APC governors were opposed to Wike, noting that some had maintained relationships with the former Rivers State governor.
Among governors reportedly sympathetic to Wike are Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo.
On the other side, Uzodimma, AbdulRazaq, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun are reportedly among those opposed to Wike’s political arrangement.
Some other governors are said to be undecided and are awaiting further developments before taking a position.
The disagreement centres largely on Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, a multi-party political arrangement that the FCT minister has said is focused on mobilising support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The Progressive Governors’ Forum recently declared that APC governors would not support or endorse political alliances capable of undermining the party, its candidates or Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Wike has, however, maintained that the coalition’s support for Tinubu does not amount to an obligation to support APC candidates in other elections. The dispute has consequently raised questions about competing political structures and strategies ahead of the 2027 elections.
The minister has also criticised Uzodimma and AbdulRazaq over their opposition to the coalition, alleging that their concerns were linked to political interests, including the future leadership of the National Assembly. Those claims have been reported as Wike’s allegations rather than established facts.
Amid the disagreement, reports also emerged that some aggrieved APC governors were considering contacts with other political groups. Such reports have been attributed to political sources and have not established that the governors have entered into any formal alliance.
Meanwhile, Wike has disclosed that a fresh political strategy has been developed to counter former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking after an inspection of projects in Abuja, Wike revisited the political strategy adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party’s G5 bloc during the 2023 presidential election.
He said the group’s strategy at the time was to encourage voters in the South-South to support Obi in order to reduce Atiku’s votes in the region, arguing that Atiku was considered the greater political threat to the G5.
“Our strategy was, make sure that you vote for Obi to win in order to deny Atiku the votes,” Wike said.
He rejected claims that the strategy amounted to manipulating the election in Rivers State, saying no evidence was tendered at the election tribunal to establish that the Labour Party had won the state.
Wike said political groups would continue to develop strategies based on their assessment of electoral contests, adding that details of the strategy being developed for 2027 would not be publicly disclosed.
“When you are strategising to win an election, you look at a lot of factors: who is my threat? If this is my threat, this is a lesser threat, and I know what to do so as to make sure that the vote of my major threat does not increase,” he said.
Wike Reaffirms Support for Tinubu
Wike has also reaffirmed his support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, saying he would not support another presidential candidate against the President after backing him in the 2023 election.
“After supporting President Tinubu in 2023, it will be wrong of me to support another person to face him when he is seeking re-election, and I have made this clear before now,” he said.
He, however, maintained that his position at the presidential level should not prevent the PDP from fielding candidates and contesting elections at the state and legislative levels.
Wike made the remarks when members of the PDP Board of Trustees, led by its Chairman, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, visited him at his Abuja residence to condole with him over the death of the party’s National Vice Chairman, South-South, Chief Dan Orbih.
Ohuabunwa said the delegation also visited to encourage Wike to remain focused, adding that the former Rivers State governor had been speaking the truth about developments within the party.
The widening disagreement between Wike and some APC governors remains centred on competing approaches to political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, with both sides publicly maintaining their respective positions.
