A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against yielding to demands from the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) to distance himself from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Reacting to the ongoing political face-off between APC governors and the FCT Minister over campaign strategies, Okechukwu urged the President to remain vigilant against some “pretenders” within the ruling party.
Okechukwu expressed surprise at how the governors handled the situation, noting that in his 48 years of active involvement in Nigerian party politics, he had never seen such a routine party issue aired publicly rather than resolved through established internal channels.
The immediate past Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) argued that some of these “pretenders” have wittingly or unwittingly used their electorates and recklessly abandoned them, “and now want Mr President to dump Wike,” Okechukwu stated.
“In my 48 years of participation in Nigerian party politics, I have never seen where such an elementary issue was pretentiously thrown open.” He asked, “Don’t you have access to Mr President, and what is the proverbial caucus meant for? My summation is simple: Mr. President, beware of pretenders.”
He further warned the President against falling into political “booby traps,” alleging that a few APC governors had failed to deliver the dividends of democracy in their respective states and had consequently alienated the electorate.
Defending the political alliance with Wike, the APC chieftain emphasised that the FCT Minister played a significant role in the party’s success during the 2023 presidential election and remains a vital asset for broadening the party’s reach.
“Truly, it is not improper for Mr President to dump Wike after we harvested the Wike masquerade, which not only boosted our great party’s votes in 2023, but also denied His Excellency Atiku Abubakar substantial votes and will mobilise voters in states where the FPGs had alienated the electorate by personalising power,” Okechukwu added.
Addressing the insistence of APC governors that they should lead President Tinubu’s re-election campaign, Okechukwu clarified that the President has never sidelined the governors or undermined their role in the electoral process. Instead, he noted, the administration requires additional support across various constituencies to secure a decisive victory.
“Mr President has never overlooked the governors. All he wants is supplementary votes from Wike, especially in states where the electorate is angry and where some of the FPGs have alienated the people,” he explained.
Okechukwu advised the governors to focus on rebuilding trust with their constituents rather than calling for the breakdown of strategic political partnerships. He urged President Tinubu to keep his options open and sustain a broad coalition to ensure victory in the 2027 general elections. (The Nation)
