How Members Of APC Campaign Council Took On Each Other In Tinubu’s Presence

In a heated political environment, tensions over the 2027 elections were evident at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday. The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, led by President Bola Tinubu, witnessed ministerial and gubernatorial figures engaging in sharp exchanges. Nyesom Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but supporting Tinubu, challenged APC governors to demonstrate their loyalty by delivering electoral victories in their respective states.

He warned that their positions in the campaign council did not equate to political success. Wike's remarks came amidst a growing disagreement between him and APC governors, particularly over his Rainbow Coalition, a political arrangement intended to mobilize support for Tinubu across party lines. This dispute intensified in September when Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma declared that APC governors would not participate in or endorse political arrangements that might weaken the ruling party or its candidates in the 2027 elections.

Wike publicly criticized Uzodimma for his inability to deliver votes for Tinubu in the 2023 elections and accused him of seeking to leave his office to run for the Senate. APC Vice Chairman 1, Godswill Akpabio, addressed the emerging leadership contest for the 11th Senate, cautioning governors against abandoning their constituents in pursuit of political positions not available to them.

He emphasized the importance of maintaining a relationship with the electorate and invoked his political longevity. Despite the escalating tensions, senators unanimously supported Godswill Akpabio as President of the 11th Senate, with the Senate amending its standing rules to require candidates for these positions to have served at least eight years in the chamber.