A foundation member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has cautioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against yielding to pressure from some APC governors seeking to distance him from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the emerging Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Okechukwu, a former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday, where he criticised the decision by some governors to take their concerns about Wike’s political activities into the public domain.
He described those pushing the demand as “Few Pretender Governors” and argued that the disagreement should have been addressed through the internal structures and leadership channels of the party.
According to him, the governors had access to the President and could have raised their concerns privately rather than engaging in a public political confrontation.
“In my 48 years of participation in Nigerian party politics, I have never seen where such an elementary issue was pretentiously thrown open. Don’t you have access to Mr. President, and what is the proverbial caucus meant for?” Okechukwu said.
He added: “My summation is simple: Mr. President, beware of pretenders.”
Okechukwu further questioned the political record of some of the governors calling for Wike to be sidelined, alleging that some had not done enough to deliver dividends of democracy to their constituents.
He therefore urged Tinubu not to allow the disagreement to become a political trap, insisting that maintaining a relationship with Wike was not incompatible with the President’s relationship with APC governors.
The APC chieftain also defended Wike’s continued political relationship with Tinubu, pointing to the FCT Minister’s role in the political realignment that preceded the 2023 presidential election.
He argued that the alliance could provide additional political support for the President ahead of 2027, particularly in areas where some APC governors may face difficulties mobilising voters.
Okechukwu said the President had not abandoned the governors, but could still work with other political structures to broaden his support base.
“The governors should therefore concentrate on strengthening their relationship with the electorate rather than asking Mr. President to abandon a political alliance that could broaden the APC’s electoral reach,” he stated.
His comments come amid an increasingly public disagreement between some APC governors and Wike over the Rainbow Coalition. The APC Presidential Campaign Council has separately urged Tinubu to intervene in the dispute, describing it as an internal disagreement among political allies ahead of the 2027 elections.
Okechukwu ultimately urged the President to keep his political options open and maintain a broad coalition as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
Credit: Tribune Newspaper except headline
