Tinubu Must Intervene In Wike, APC Governors’ Feud — PCC

The APC Presidential Campaign Council has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the growing disagreement between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.

The call was made by the spokesperson of the APC PCC, Ima Niboro, who described the dispute as an internal disagreement among political allies that could be resolved through dialogue.

The disagreement centres on Wike’s proposed Rainbow Coalition, which has raised concerns among APC governors who fear that the initiative could affect the party’s candidates in state-level elections and potentially create challenges for Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

Wike has criticised some APC governors, including Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, following their opposition to the coalition.

The governors, led by Uzodimma as chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, have maintained that they would not support or endorse any political arrangement capable of weakening Tinubu’s re-election bid or affecting APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

Wike, however, has maintained that his support for Tinubu does not prevent other political parties from fielding candidates in elections.

He also argued that the disagreement over his political activities predates his decision to support the President, recalling that he faced opposition during his time as Rivers State governor and later as FCT minister.

Wike further maintained that his understanding of the political situation was based on information available to him and insisted that his support for Tinubu remained intact.

Reacting to the dispute, Niboro said both sides shared the objective of securing another term for Tinubu, despite their differences over political strategy.

He urged political leaders involved in the disagreement to reduce their public exchanges and concentrate on building their support bases ahead of the elections.

Niboro said the dispute should be managed internally, noting that disagreements could emerge as political parties expanded their alliances and membership.

He added that Tinubu had extensive political experience and was in a position to manage the competing interests within the broader political coalition.

According to him, the disagreement had already extended beyond the national level to states and local government areas, making presidential intervention useful in preventing the dispute from escalating.

Also commenting on the matter, an APC chieftain, Joe Igbokwe, urged Wike to meet with the party’s governors and explain the objectives and structure of his proposed Rainbow Coalition.

Igbokwe described Wike as an important political stakeholder with followers and influence, but said the minister needed to consult the APC governors before proceeding with the initiative.

He called for dialogue among the stakeholders, arguing that political disagreements should be resolved through discussions rather than public exchanges.

Former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, also advised Tinubu to be cautious about calls from some APC governors regarding Wike.

Okechukwu said the disagreement should have been handled within the party rather than becoming a public issue. He questioned why the governors had not used existing party channels and their access to the President to resolve their concerns.

The APC chieftain argued that some governors were seeking to persuade Tinubu to distance himself from Wike despite the minister’s political contribution to the President’s 2023 campaign.

He said Wike’s political network could provide additional support for Tinubu in areas where some APC governors may have lost connections with sections of their electorates.

Okechukwu therefore urged the President to maintain a broad political coalition ahead of 2027 and allow different political actors to contribute to his re-election effort.

He also advised the APC governors to focus on strengthening their relationships with voters in their respective states rather than seeking to limit Tinubu’s political alliances.