The growing political disagreement between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reportedly divided the party’s 31 state governors into different camps.
According to a report by Vanguard, some APC governors are sympathetic to Wike, while others have aligned with the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, as well as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
A senior party source reportedly told Vanguard that Wike continues to enjoy the support of some governors because of relationships built during his time as a governor.
“I can tell you that not all the governors are opposed to the minister. Many of them were his friends before now. The minister was a governor too. Even if everyone turns against him, you know that he has the Adamawa governor and some others with him,” the source was quoted as saying.
The newspaper reported that 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 were among those said to be sympathetic to Wike.
On the opposing side, Uzodimma and AbdulRazaq were reportedly joined by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Some other governors were said to have remained undecided, with party sources reportedly indicating that they were waiting for President Bola Tinubu to return to the country before taking a clear position.
The disagreement came into the open after the Progressive Governors’ Forum reportedly adopted a position following a closed-door meeting in Abuja.
The forum, under Uzodimma’s leadership, reportedly resolved that APC governors should support candidates officially nominated by the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
That position was interpreted as a rejection of Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, which has been mobilising support for President Tinubu’s re-election while also backing candidates outside the APC in some other electoral contests.
The APC governors were reportedly concerned that supporting different candidates across presidential, National Assembly and other elections could create confusion among voters and potentially affect the party’s electoral interests.
Wike, however, has rejected the suggestion that his political coalition poses a threat to the APC.
The FCT minister has argued that the opposition from Uzodimma and AbdulRazaq is driven by other political considerations rather than concerns about the stability of the ruling party.
He has also linked the disagreement to questions surrounding political succession and other internal calculations within the APC, including issues concerning the leadership of the National Assembly.
Wike has separately criticised AbdulRazaq over political developments in Kwara State, accusing the governor of repeatedly attributing local political challenges to him.
As the disagreement continues, some APC leaders have reportedly called for restraint and greater internal engagement to prevent the dispute from affecting the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
With President Tinubu outside the country, party sources said attention would be focused on his return as the APC leadership attempts to manage the competing interests surrounding Wike’s coalition and the party’s governors.
