APC To Report Wike To Tinubu Over Rift With Govs

Indications have emerged that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to report the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to President Bola Tinubu upon his return to the country this weekend, following the face-off with the party’s governors.

Tinubu departed Abuja on 30 August for London on a three-week annual leave. The Presidency said he would return to Nigeria after the holiday to resume his official engagements and join preparations for the 2027 general election.

But the president subsequently extended his holiday, as the Presidency announced on Monday that he is expected to return to Nigeria over the weekend.

While the president was away, a major disagreement arose between Wike, an ardent supporter of his re-election bid, and the APC governors.

Trouble began when the APC governors rejected any political alliance or arrangement they said could undermine the party or its candidates in the 2027 elections.

Led by the PGF chairman and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, the governors said they would support only candidates officially sponsored by the APC.

Uzodimma said the governors would neither participate in, support, nor endorse any alliance that could weaken the party or adversely affect its candidates.

“The APC Governors Forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement that could undermine the re-election of Mr President, weaken the APC or adversely affect any candidate of the party at all levels.”

“In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate because our party is sponsoring our candidates who are contesting the election,” the governors said in a communique read by Uzodimma.

The declaration was widely seen as a response to Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, which the FCT minister has said is focused on mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election rather than on supporting APC candidates in other elections.

Wike has maintained that his support for Tinubu does not amount to abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and has stressed that he remains free to support candidates of his choice in other contests.

He also criticised the APC governors for opposing the coalition, describing them as “politically lazy” and arguing that supporting a presidential candidate should not prevent parties from fielding candidates for governorship and legislative elections.

“There was never a day I went to the Governors’ Forum to align with the APC coalition. There was never one day. I have been talking about my alliance with political parties, and there was never one day that he referred to our alliance,” Wike said.

While the drama unfolded, the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, was on a two-week overseas holiday, but he returned earlier in the week.

Yilwatda was at the party’s national secretariat on Wednesday, where he received representatives of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, led by the Chancellor, Wan Ji, and the Director General of the China Centre for Contemporary Studies, on a courtesy visit.

A party source said the national chairman of the ruling party had been briefed and was waiting for the President to return before speaking on it.

LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that the APC national leadership would formally report the matter to President Tinubu.

Sources familiar with the development confided in LEADERSHIP Weekend that while the party leadership acknowledged Wike’s support for Tinubu’s re-election, it is also conscious of the critical role the APC governors have to play in the party’s victory in all elections except the presidency.

One of the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the party is not willing to place one individual who can deliver only his state over 31 governors, hence the need to request that the president rein in Wike.

“The party’s leadership is likely to report the Honourable Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, to the president over his altercation with our governors.”

“The leadership of the party acknowledged Wike’s support for the re-election of the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but it is also aware that no individual, no matter how powerful, can be placed above 31 serving governors who are the party’s field commanders.”

“As you may recall, Wike said on national television that only President Bola Tinubu can question his political decisions. So the party leadership under Professor Nentawe Yilwatda is likely to report him to the president, who has authority over him,” the source said, pleading anonymity.

Another source at the Presidency said that the President would definitely intervene upon his return from France.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the matter, said, ‘‘I do not know how the President will resolve the disagreement, but he will definitely intervene and deal with it on his return this weekend.’’

‘‘It is one of the issues that he (the President) will address quickly as the party gears up for campaigns because we cannot go into the campaigns with a divided and rancorous team.’’

Analysts say the APC governors’ and Wike’s face-off is brewing a serious crisis within the party, which, if not resolved immediately, would affect its chances in next year’s polls.