The public disagreement between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is drawing calls for a change of approach as preparations for the 2027 election gather pace.
Ima Niboro, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, has urged both sides to put aside their public exchanges and concentrate on the work of mobilising voters for President Bola Tinubu.
Niboro made the call on Wednesday while appearing on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, describing the dispute between Wike and the APC governors as an argument between political “siblings.”
His comments came shortly after the APC Governors Forum rejected political arrangements that it believes could weaken the party or affect its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Rather than continue trading statements in the media, Niboro said political leaders should demonstrate their influence by returning to their constituencies and building support at the grassroots.
He was particularly direct in his message to Wike and the APC governors.
“When I said tone down the rhetoric, I do not mean stop working. Stop talking, go and work,” he said.
“All this shouting is not taking anybody anywhere. Go and work. Go and establish your authority on your political base.”
Niboro urged political leaders to engage directly with voters instead of focusing their energy on public disagreements.
“Get on the TV cameras. Go to the people. Go to the streets. Go to the marketplaces. Go and win the people,” he added.
He also criticised what he described as excessive political rhetoric, arguing that public exchanges would achieve little without corresponding grassroots mobilisation.
“Stop all this high-sounding grammar that they are blowing everywhere is not leading anybody anywhere. Go and work,” Niboro said.
Wike, APC governors disagree over Rainbow Coalition
The dispute intensified after the APC Governors Forum publicly distanced itself from Wike’s proposed Rainbow Coalition.
The forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, said APC governors would not participate in or support an alliance capable of weakening the party, creating divided loyalty or affecting APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
Uzodimma said the governors’ campaign structure would remain focused on APC candidates at all levels.
Wike has taken a different position.
The FCT minister has maintained that his political priority is to support Tinubu’s re-election, while arguing that this does not prevent other political parties from fielding candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
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He also said he never approached the APC Governors Forum seeking an alliance with the governors.
Wike has also questioned the electoral strength of some APC governors, including Uzodimma, in the course of the disagreement.
He has argued that political influence should ultimately be demonstrated through the ability to mobilise voters and deliver electoral support, rather than simply through holding public office.
The disagreement has consequently moved beyond the question of the Rainbow Coalition itself, with both sides presenting different views about party loyalty, candidate selection and how support for Tinubu should be organised across the states.
Despite his call for an end to the public exchanges, Niboro clarified that he was not asking either Wike or the governors to abandon their political interests.
Instead, he said they should prove their relevance through actual political work at the grassroots.
“If you’re a political leader, stop talking. Go and work. That is my point,” he said.
The remarks come as political calculations around the 2027 presidential election continue to generate disagreements within and across Nigeria’s political parties.
For now, Wike maintains that his focus is supporting Tinubu at the presidential level, while the APC Governors Forum says its political machinery will remain aligned with APC candidates across the ballot.