APC Spokesperson Tells Wike, Governors to Focus on Voters Ahead of 2027 Elections

A spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Ima Niboro, has called on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and APC governors to stop exchanging insults in the media. He wants them to concentrate on getting voters involved at the grassroots level ahead of the 2027 elections.

Mr Niboro made this statement on Wednesday during an interview on Arise News. He spoke about the disagreements between Mr Wike and APC governors regarding the minister’s proposed Rainbow Coalition to gather support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

He described the clash as a “quarrel among political siblings.” He said both sides are ultimately working towards Mr Tinubu’s return in 2027, even though they disagree on the approach.

“When I said tone down the rhetoric, I do not mean stop working. Stop talking, go and work. That is my point,” Mr Niboro explained.

He asked the politicians to leave the TV studios and engage directly with voters in their communities. “Go and establish authority on your political base. That’s what you need to do. Get away from the TV cameras, go to the people, go to the streets, go to the marketplaces and go and win the people by working,” he said.

“Stop all this high-sounding grammar that they are blowing everywhere. It’s not leading anybody anywhere. Go and work.”

The disagreements started when the Progressive Governors’ Forum rejected any political strategies that might harm the APC or its candidates at state and local levels. Mr Wike is promoting the Rainbow Coalition as a platform for politicians from different parties who support Mr Tinubu’s re-election. He argues that backing the president should not stop politicians from supporting candidates from other parties in state elections.

This has put him at odds with APC governors, who insist that their political machinery should support APC candidates at all levels. Mr Niboro said both sides have valid concerns.

“APC governors naturally will worry that, Ok, we are working for the President, but then the PDP is fielding candidates against APC at the state level, at the local government level,” he stated. He added that Mr Wike also has political interests to protect in this debate.

“So what I need to do is to make sure everybody needs to put their head down and work together with a common direction, a common plan,” he noted. According to him, the main agreement among the groups involved is their support for Mr Tinubu’s re-election.

“Dr Nyesom Wike, the minister, is in the PDP. Most of the men and the rest of them are of the APC. But they agreed that President Bola Tinubu must return in 2027,” Mr Niboro said.

He stressed the need to reduce the heated exchanges. “We need to find a way to tone down this rhetoric. We need to find a way to reduce this big battle that is flying from all directions and then work in a specific direction, which is to re-elect the president. That is the most important assignment.”

Mr Niboro also disagreed with Mr Wike’s claim that APC governors are “politically lazy.” He said governors have significant political power because of their constitutional roles. “If Wike, all due respect to him, his position and his experience as a two-term governor, if he says the governors are lazy, then was he lazy as governor of a state?” Mr Niboro asked.

“Governors are very, very powerful people. Governors are people who, actually, because of the nature of our Constitution, can sometimes really bring changes to even the centre.” Mr Wike had criticized APC governors after they rejected his proposed cross-party arrangement. Meanwhile, Progressive Governors’ Forum Chairman and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma stated that the governors would not support any arrangements that might weaken the APC or affect its candidates.

Mr Niboro argued that the 2027 political contest should not be seen the same way as the 2023 presidential election. “Sure, that was then. That was candidate Tinubu, but now this is President Tinubu,” he said. He pointed out the work done by the administration, especially in the South-east.

He believes the president’s record will influence the next election. “I do not see it as a direct challenge to the president himself, beyond the fact that he’s a leader and it’s in his interest for him to maintain the peace,” Mr Niboro added.

He noted that the dispute could affect state and local government politics, but he believes both sides still support Mr Tinubu’s re-election. Mr Niboro also warned that internal disagreements could be a problem for large political parties if not handled well.

“You know, we used to be in PDP. Sometimes a party gets so big, it becomes its own opposition,” he said. “But PDP became its own opposition. That’s how you had the breakaways from PDP and all those issues that now led to the demise of PDP governance in this country.”

He said such issues are common in large political groups and need to be managed. “These are the issues that happen when you have big parties. It is inevitable. So they have to be managed,” he said. “And we have a leader who I think is competent enough to manage these things, and he will. Take my word for it.”