The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike, has dismissed the resolution of the APC Governors Forum against his rainbow coalition, describing the governors behind it as politically lazy and insisting that he has never at any time sought an alliance with the ruling party or its governors.
Speaking by telephone from Spain, where he is on holiday, the minister said his commitment has always been to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally rather than to the All Progressives Congress, and that the only person entitled to question his conduct is the President himself.
The APC Governors Forum, led by the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, had after a meeting in Abuja declared that its members would neither support nor endorse any alliance capable of weakening the party or undermining its candidates.
“The forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of Mr President, weakening the APC, or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels,” the forum stated.
“In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate, because the elections and our candidates are standing election as being sponsored by our party. The governors’ campaign commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates. No arrangement that creates confusion, divided loyalty, or competing interests within the party will be entertained.”
The forum added that all levels of the party’s campaign architecture would be aligned with the expectations of the President and the strategic objectives of the party while maintaining national coherence.
Asked for his reaction, the minister said he had initially been advised against responding at all, but chose to put his own version before Nigerians.
“When I see the people who had that press conference, they are smart like the former men. But they are politically lazy. They are unfortunate,” he said. “All he said, neither here nor there.”
He rejected outright the premise that he had ever sought an accommodation with the ruling party or its governors.
“There’s no day I went to the Governors Forum to align with coalition. There’s no day,” he said. “They are talking about alliance with party. I have never one day gone to APC to have an alliance.”
Recalling the origins of his support for the President, the minister said the G5 governors dealt directly with Mr. Tinubu and not with the party structures.
“When the G5 came out to support the President, is there any time we held a meeting with the Progressive Governors Forum or with their party? We met with Mr President. I told Mr President, we’re going to support you. And I have never regretted that.”
He explained the basis of that decision: “As I said to the President, as far as I’m concerned, we’re going to support you. One, because of my belief that it is the turn of the South to produce the presidency, the North having done that for eight years. And so it would not be fair if the election goes back to the North. So we did that.”
“We check out the background of persons or leadership. During the APC primaries, Hope supported Ahmad Lawan. And then he prayed that he won. You did 360,” he said.
“We check out the background of persons or leadership. During the APC primaries, Hope supported Ahmad Lawan. And then he prayed that he won. You did 360,” he said.
He then contrasted his own contribution with the outcome in Imo State in 2023.
“But let me take you to his own state. Imo State. He was the governor of Imo State, and of APC stock. Mr President didn’t get 10 per cent in his state. But he took two senators. And Labour Party took one senator, in Imo State.”
“Labour Party scored 360,000. APC scored 66,000. Now, is he saying that the people of Imo State were not confused, or they were confused? As a sitting governor, you have a president already under your party. You couldn’t give him 10 per cent of the total votes.”
He pressed the contradiction he sees in the governors’ position: “The President lost woefully, but they got the senators. An election that was held the same day. What happened, that the electorate knew how to vote for a president of another party, and they voted for APC on the National Assembly candidates? Hope is telling all that there is something to it. I think they should really come and check what really happened. You don’t just come out and say things you cannot.”
The minister said the hostility directed at him predates the present controversy and began with his appointment to the cabinet.