Jibrin To APC Governors: Stop Attacking Wike, Embrace Him

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and federal lawmaker, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has urged members of the ruling party to recognise the role played by the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and 2027 re-election bid.

Jibrin, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday night, said Wike should not be subjected to public criticism over his continued membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while mobilising support for Tinubu through his political coalition.

According to him, the FCT minister’s political activities have benefited the APC and should be addressed through dialogue rather than public attacks.

“There is no APC member in Nigeria today that has not directly or indirectly benefited from the efforts of Wike, so long as delivering the President, also managing the government, also performing his work, there is nobody,” Jibrin said.

He described Wike as an important political ally of the Tinubu administration, stressing that the minister had made significant political sacrifices in support of the president.

“Wike is an asset to the APC. I don’t think Wike should be embarrassed at this moment with public statements,” he said.

Jibrin said his intervention was not based on a personal relationship with Wike, explaining that he had only met the minister twice and was speaking because of what he described as the need to protect the political coalition supporting Tinubu.

“I’m not holding any brief for Wike, but I think anything that is going to touch on the stability of the journey towards delivering the President, I like to make my intervention,” he said.

The lawmaker also cited Wike’s political activities in Rivers State and the FCT as evidence of his support for the APC-led federal government.

“I believe that Wike has sacrificed. He handed over Rivers to APC. Wike had candidates [in the] FCT election but asked them to step down for APC. Wike came into this government as government of national unity. In reality, we should be fair to him; he has done far more than that,” Jibrin said.

He noted that politicians from opposition parties were also working with the Tinubu administration and supporting the president’s second-term bid, arguing that Wike’s position should therefore be viewed within the broader political coalition.

“There are people who are in other parties, who are working with us in the NDC, in the ADC. Some of them called me yesterday, saying, ‘Look at what they are saying about Wike,’” he said.

Jibrin specifically appealed to APC governors who have criticised Wike to engage him privately rather than making public statements capable of deepening political disagreements.

“For the governors, they should take Wike as part of them. You call Wike the number 32 governor and Adeleke number 33 governor of the APC. If there is a problem at the state level, the entire coalition that he is doing is for the President,” he said.

He added that where Wike’s political activities were considered detrimental to the interests of any governor, the affected parties should engage him directly.

“If anybody at the subnational level feels it may work against him or his interest, they should discuss with Wike, but I do not think Wike should be embarrassed with statements,” Jibrin said.

Jibrin’s comments followed recent criticism of Wike by some APC governors, including Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, over his continued membership of the PDP while campaigning for Tinubu’s re-election through his “Rainbow Coalition.”

The lawmaker also pointed to the APC’s performance in the recent FCT Area Council elections, saying the outcome demonstrated the importance of political mobilisation and numerical strength.

He argued that Wike’s political role should be considered within the context of the president’s broader coalition-building efforts ahead of the 2027 elections, rather than solely on the basis of his party membership.