THE lingering rift between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and a section of All Progressives Congress, APC, governors has split the party’s 31 state chief executives into rival camps.

While some of the governors are backing the minister, others align with the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, PGF, and Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, and his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in the escalating feud.

Governor AbdulRazaq is the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF.

“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,” said a senior party source.

Findings indicate that Adamawa State governor, Mr. 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, are reportedly sympathetic to Wike’s position in the dispute.

In contrast, Uzodimma, AbdulRazaq, Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani; Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun; and a few others, are said to be firmly opposed to the minister.

A number of governors are said to remain undecided, preferring to await the return of President Bola Tinubu to the country before taking a definitive position on the matter.The feud, which has simmered for months within the ruling party, finally spilled into full public view recently, setting Wike against a bloc of governors elected on the party’s ticket, and raising hard questions about how the president plans to keep his disciples intact heading into the 2027 election.The PGF had, at a closed-door session in Abuja presided over by Uzodimma, reportedly resolved that the party would back only official APC candidates in the 2027 elections, rejecting any endorsement of candidates emerging from an outside coalition, an apparent reference to Wike’s Rainbow Coalition project.

In addition, the governors said since the rainbow coalition had fielded and was supporting candidates for National Assembly and other slots on rival parties’ platforms, voters could be confused on election day, which in turn could affect President Tinubu’s re-election.

Wike, however, has dismissed suggestions that the opposition to his coalition was driven by concerns that it could destabilise the APC.

He maintained that the resistance from Uzodimma and AbdulRazaq had other undisclosed motivations, including the bid for the Senate Presidency by the Imo governorThe PGF had, at a closed-door session in Abuja presided over by Uzodimma, reportedly resolved that the party would back only official APC candidates in the 2027 elections, rejecting any endorsement of candidates emerging from an outside coalition, an apparent reference to Wike’s Rainbow Coalition project.

In addition, the governors said since the rainbow coalition had fielded and was supporting candidates for National Assembly and other slots on rival parties’ platforms, voters could be confused on election day, which in turn could affect President Tinubu’s re-election.

Wike, however, has dismissed suggestions that the opposition to his coalition was driven by concerns that it could destabilise the APC.

He maintained that the resistance from Uzodimma and AbdulRazaq had other undisclosed motivations, including the bid for the Senate Presidency by the Imo governorThe minister has also taken direct swipes at AbdulRazaq in the course of the disagreement, accusing the governor of repeatedly blaming him for political issues in Kwara State and questioning claims that he was presenting candidates in the state merely to gain control of its legislature.

Amid the widening cracks, some party leaders have called for restraint on all sides.

With the President currently away from the country, party sources said his return was being keenly anticipated as the moment that could determine which direction the undecided governors ultimately lean, and how the APC leadership resolved the widening rift ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Meanwhile, some anti-Wike elements were said to have on Tuesday sold the narrative that some aggrieved governors were considering an alliance with other opposition presidential candidates – a move calculated to force the president’s hands against the minister.

Sources further told Vanguard that not all the governors had issues with Wike and his coalition, especially as he is not sponsoring candidates in their states. New strategy in place to checkmate Atiku, Obi – Wike

Meanwhile, Wike, yesterday, disclosed that a fresh political strategy had been put in place to counter former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, in the 2027 polls.

Speaking after an inspection tour, which took him to Road S1, Kaura District; Collector Road C2, Life Camp; Arterial Road N16, Gwarinpa; the IBB Golf Course; and, the Gudu (Jereton Mariere Street) project by Apo Legislative Quarters, Wike clarified comments he had earlier made regarding the 2023 presidential election, which has continued to generate reactions.

He explained that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s G5 bloc, of which he was a member, had deployed a calculated strategy during the 2023 poll aimed at denying Atiku votes from the South-South, insisting that the former vice president, rather than Obi, was the real threat to their political interests at the time.

“Our strategy was, make sure that you vote for Obi to win in order to deny Atiku the votes,” he said, explaining that the South-South was traditionally a PDP stronghold, adding that had the region voted along party lines, Atiku would have won.Wike dismissed insinuations that the strategy amounted to manipulation of the outcome in Rivers State, maintaining that no evidence was ever tendered at the tribunal to support claims that Labour Party won the state.

“Did anybody tender any result from Rivers State that, ‘look, this is the result, we won’? Did anybody? It’s unfair. It’s unfortunate there’s nothing we can do,” he said, adding that every political camp, including the G5, operated with a defined strategy during the election.

“We have our strategy in this election, and whether you like it or not, it’s not for us to let the cat out of the bag,” the minister further explained.

He added that his opposition was not Obi but Atiku, arguing that the perception of Obi’s strength was largely a social media construct, rather than a reflection of the actual distribution of votes.

“When you are strategising to win an election, you look at a lot of factors: who is my threat? If this is my threat, this is a lesser threat, and I know what to do so as to make sure that the vote of my major threat does not increase.‘’You cannot rig an election where you are not popular. You cannot If you try that, then you see what happens; people will resist it,” he said.

It’ll be wrong to support another candidate against Tinubu

Restating his support for Tinubu’s re-election, Wike said it would be wrong of him to support another candidate against the President in 2027 after backing Tinubu in 2023.

However, he said his position on the presidential contest should not stop the PDP from fielding candidates and contesting elections at sub-national levels, as he reaffirmed his commitment to remain in the party and work with others to rebuild it.

“After supporting President Tinubu in 2023, it will be wrong of me to support another person to face him when he is seeking re-election, and I have made this clear before now. Q‘’But that should not prevent the PDP from contesting elections at the sub-national levels,” he added.

Wike spoke when members of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, led by its Chairman, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, visited him at his Abuja residence to condole with him over the death of the party’s National Vice Chairman, South-South, Chief Dan Orbih.

Ohuabunwa said the delegation also came to encourage Wike to remain focused, insisting that the former Rivers State governor had been speaking the truth about the party.

“We are here to solidarise with him, encourage him and tell him to remain focused. Because everything he’s been saying about the party is nothing but the truth,” Ohuabunwa said.