Some All Progressives Congress (APC) party stakeholders are reportedly weighing support for alternative presidential candidates amid concerns over the political activities of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
NEWSNGR reports that an ongoing political rift has emerged between Wike’s Rainbow Coalition and the APC Governors’ Forum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sources within the APC told Punch that many party leaders, including some governors, regarded Wike as a potential threat to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
A source said, “As a member of the APC and somebody who understands how the governors work and what they have been doing, I know that the governors are not happy, especially the governors of Ogun, Kwara and Imo states. Other members of the party, including critical party leaders, are also not happy about the Wike matter. The way he goes around talking about people, party leaders and governors as if they have no influence or cannot have any impact on the 2027 election is quite discouraging.
“Many of them are looking at alternatives. The governors, including some critical party leaders, are considering the fact that Wike has claimed that he has the power to deliver the President, even more than the number of governors supporting the President.
“If Wike continues along that line, many of them are already considering the option of supporting other candidates against Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Other options are also available to them because they are unhappy about being disrespected and belittled by a minister serving in an APC-led Federal Government, despite being a member of the PDP. They are also concerned that the President is yet to make any remark or issue a directive on the matter.”
Another source said the governors and APC leaders were expecting President Tinubu to intervene and resolve the matter before it escalated further.
The source stated, “What I know is that APC leaders and other critical stakeholders consider Wike a threat to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election. This is because Wike had quite a lot of enemies before now because of this kind of politics, and he is transferring some of those enemies to the President. Even party members who ordinarily support the President are beginning to think otherwise because of their opposition to Wike.
“Wike has continued to go on television and other media platforms to criticise the governors and portray them as though they have no influence, followers or supporters capable of affecting the outcome of a presidential election. This is seriously becoming unbecoming, and many party leaders are not happy about it.
“Some of them are looking up to the President to act speedily and nip the matter in the bud. If it is not addressed, some of them may simply watch from afar as the election unfolds, and that could have serious implications for the President in 2027.”
