A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and federal lawmaker, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has urged APC governors to avoid publicly attacking or embarrassing the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Jibrin made the call while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday, amid growing disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over his political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The lawmaker described Wike as an asset to the APC, arguing that members of the ruling party had benefited directly or indirectly from the former Rivers State governor’s political activities and support for President Bola Tinubu.
“There is no APC member in Nigeria today that has not directly or indirectly benefited from the efforts of Wike,” Jibrin said, referring to what he described as Wike’s contribution to Tinubu’s political project and the running of the government.
He further argued that Wike had made significant political sacrifices in support of the APC-led administration, including his role in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Jibrin, Wike had supported the APC in Rivers State and, during the FCT Area Council elections, asked some candidates associated with him to step aside in favour of APC candidates.
“Wike is an asset to APC. I don’t think Wike should be embarrassed at this moment with public statements,” he said.
Jibrin stressed that his intervention was not based on a personal relationship with Wike. He said he had only met the FCT minister twice and was speaking because of what he considered the broader political implications of the disagreement.
He said his concern was particularly connected to efforts to secure support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The disagreement between Wike and some APC governors has centred largely on the minister’s Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform through which he has been mobilising support for Tinubu while remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Some APC governors have opposed political arrangements that could support non-APC candidates at other levels of the 2027 elections. The Progressive Governors’ Forum, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, said APC governors would not endorse alliances capable of weakening the party or its candidates.
Wike, however, has maintained that his support for Tinubu at the presidential level does not prevent politicians from contesting other positions under different political parties.
Jibrin urged governors who have disagreements with Wike to engage him directly rather than allowing the differences to develop into public confrontations.
“For the governors, they should take Wike as part of them,” he said, adding that disagreements at the state level should be addressed through dialogue.
The lawmaker also noted that politicians belonging to parties outside the APC could still support Tinubu’s presidential bid, pointing to the cross-party nature of the emerging political alliances ahead of 2027.
His comments come as political parties and influential politicians intensify consultations and positioning ahead of the 2027 elections, with the relationship between Tinubu’s presidential campaign, the APC’s formal structures and Wike’s Rainbow Coalition becoming an increasingly prominent issue.
