A former South-East spokesman to President Bola Tinubu, Denge Onoh, has attributed the growing face-off between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress to what he described as the minister’s long history of using political alliances to weaken established political structures.

Onoh, in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, was reacting to Wike’s recent media chat in which the FCT minister criticised APC governors opposed to his political activities, including his emerging “Rainbow Coalition.

On Wike’s current confrontation with APC governors, he said the minister’s political activities had created concerns within the ruling party because of his continued influence over structures outside the APC.

The South-East politician said Wike’s political platform had previously fielded candidates for legislative and governorship elections under the PDP, arguing that the minister’s political network remained connected to the opposition party despite his membership of the APC-led Federal Executive Council.

He said, ‘The reason is simple. Wike’s PDP fielded 405 National Assembly candidates to contest across the 109 Senate and 360 House of Representatives seats, and 23 governorship candidates across the states holding gubernatorial elections.

“Wike’s historical pattern of being an aggressive political instrument perfectly explains his current, volatile face-off with several APC Governors and the wider APC structure. His political survival has always depended on maintaining a theatre of war.

“Having been absorbed into an APC-led administration while stubbornly trying to hold onto the remnants of the PDP structure in Rivers State, he now finds himself in a friction zone. Higher political forces within the national framework continue to tolerate and utilise Wike to destabilise opposition strongholds and manage geopolitical balances.”

The former spokesman also stated that APC governors were therefore wary of the minister’s activities because they could affect the party’s internal cohesion ahead of the 2027 elections.

Onoh claimed that Wike’s “Rainbow Coalition” was part of a broader effort by the minister to maintain political relevance and negotiate his position beyond the 2027 elections.

He described Wike as “the wrecking ball of the Jonathan Presidency,” alleging that the former minister was deployed in the political battle between Jonathan and Amaechi after the relationship between the Rivers governor and the presidency deteriorated.

“Wike’s political journey, from his roots as a local government chairman to his contemporary standing, reveals a consistent, troubling pattern.

“Rather than a trajectory of independent statesmanship, it is a legacy defined by bitter political controversies and a recurring role as a political wrecking ball used by higher authorities to decimate political opponents,” he argued.

His concerns come barely 24 hours after Wike described the governors as “politically lazy” for opposing his Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The APC governors, led by the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, had declared that they would not participate in, support or endorse any alliance that could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or affect APC candidates at any level.

But Wike, in an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Tuesday, dismissed the governors’ concerns, arguing that his support for Tinubu did not mean he had abandoned the Peoples Democratic Party or that other parties should be prevented from fielding candidates.

A political pressure group `Jagaban Apex Alliance (JAA)’, has called on Gov. Hope Uzodinma-led Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to work together for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

The PGF had recently opposed Wike’s’Rainbow Coalition political initiative’, warning that it could weaken the ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Director-General of JAA, Harry Ajentekebia said in Abuja on Wednesday that both sides should work closely to ensure Tinubu is re-elected for a second in office.

Ajentekebia, who reiterated the imperative of re-electing President Tinubu in 2027, urged the APC governors and Wike to settle their differences and work together in the interest of President Tinubu.

“All I have to say is this: the PGF and Wike must deliberately create room for peace, understanding and genuine collaboration.

“The singular task before us is the successful re-election of President Bola Tinubu, come January 2027,” he said.

He warned that public disagreements of this nature could embolden their political opponents against the project of re-electing President Tinubu if not properly checked.

According to him, these political missteps must be firmly and decisively addressed by the leadership of the APC and by President Tinubun himself.

The JAA leader, therefore, appealed to all APC state governors and the party’s leadership across the 36 states and the FCT to continue partnering and support the movement for a successful re-election of President Tinubu.

He said JAA is the only verifiable organic grassroots force committed to delivering President Tinubu and the victory of all APC candidates in 2027, saying its members should continue to work relentlessly for the victory of all APC candidates. (NAN)

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Nyesom Wike appear to be operating on parallel lanes regarding the 2027 presidential poll as the party insists on contesting the election despite Wike’s declared support for President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It noted on Wednesday that Wike’s decision remained personal and must be separated from what the PDP as a political party had decided it must do in 2027.

The PDP said much as its presidential candidate, Senator Sandy Onor, and Wike held talks over the matter, whatever the two discussed was a “friendly” understanding between two friends that would have no impact on the focus of the party to contest the election on January 16, 2027.

According to the PDP, Wike, who is the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while exercising his personal decision, has also not stopped the PDP from contesting the election, “just that he has said it will be difficult for the party to win.”

Responding to inquiries by the Nigerian Tribune on Wednesday on the prospects of the PDP contesting the election in the light of the unfolding scenario, the National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, explained that Wike’s discussion with Onor was at best a friendly engagement, which did not alter the plan of the party.

“He (Wike) told Nigerians that Sandy (Onor) is his friend. And they only had a friendly discussion within the umbrella of friendship. So, that is just a personal discussion between him and his friend.

“It is not a discussion between the minister and the PDP. And the PDP has maintained its stance for a very long time. And we still maintain that stance”, Mohammed stated.

He also claimed that Wike’s position that it would be “difficult” for the PDP to win the election did not altogether mean that the party would not be able to win it.

“I think the minister did not say PDP won’t be able to win. He said it would be difficult.

“Once something is difficult, that does not automatically mean impossible. It means it is surmountable. So, yes, he has said that”, Mohammed added.

The minister, while appearing on an Arise News interview on Tuesday night, emphasised his undiluted support for President Tinubu’s re-election despite his own party (PDP) fielding Onor.

He admitted inviting Onor for a discussion where he clearly told him his stance.

The minister also said his support for Tinubu did not mean the PDP could not still field candidates in other elections, including governorship and National Assembly polls.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognises the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP chaired by Honourable Abdulrahman Mohammed.

On Saturday, when INEC released the final list of presidential candidates for the 2027 polls, Senator Onor was listed as the PDP’s presidential candidate.

Incidentally, Wike, who is the national leader of the Mohammed-led NWC, is backing Tinubu to emerge victorious on January 16, a development setting both the party and its main financier on parallel tracks.

Asked when the party would inaugurate its presidential campaign council, Mohammed told the newspaper that every arrangement to that effect remained in top gear and would be announced at the appropriate time to buttress the PDP’s determination to contest the number one seat.

“Our preparations are in top gear. And at the appropriate time, as usual, once everything is concluded, the presidential campaign council is fully populated, we will make it public; we will inaugurate, and we will go into campaigns the usual way we used to do”, he disclosed.