The APC Grassroots Governance Organisation has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of attempting to create division within the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The group, in a statement issued on Wednesday, also criticised Wike’s recent comments concerning Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Hope Uzodimma.
It commended Uzodimma for what it described as his ‘party-first’ leadership and praised Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for providing ‘statesmanlike leadership’ at a time the party requires unity and discipline.
The group alleged that Wike was attempting to isolate Uzodimma and create a conflict between him and the APC.
‘Governor Uzodimma has done nothing to warrant this personal campaign. We thank him for refusing to descend to that level. The party is bigger than any individual quarrel,’ it said.
The organisation further alleged that Wike’s recent remarks were aimed at creating confusion within the ruling party rather than demonstrating support for President Bola Tinubu.
It particularly rejected what it described as attempts to portray the Rainbow Coalition as an extension of the APC.
‘We reiterate that the Rainbow Coalition is not the APC. It is not an APC organ. It is not an APC campaign structure. It does not speak for APC governors, APC candidates, or APC members,’ the group said.
According to the organisation, any attempt to blur the distinction between the coalition and the APC could confuse party members and the wider public.
The group also questioned Wike’s political position, noting that he remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while publicly stating that he would not join the APC.
It argued that support for Tinubu should be accompanied by support for the APC and candidates contesting elections on the party’s platform.
‘Support for Mr President cannot be separated from support for the party that produced him and the candidates running on that same ticket. Divided loyalty is not strategy,’ it said.
The organisation also referred to Wike’s political history as a former PDP governor, questioning how he would have acted had he been offered the vice-presidential slot on the APC ticket in 2023.
It further argued that APC governors should not be drawn into a structure that is separate from the ruling party.
The group said the Progressive Governors Forum had already made its position clear that APC governors would campaign for Tinubu and all candidates sponsored by the party.
‘No minister, no coalition, and no personal network has the authority to rewrite it,’ it said.
The organisation consequently called on Wike to stop what it described as attempts to pit Uzodimma against the APC and to refrain from presenting the Rainbow Coalition as an APC platform.
‘Stop the insults. Stop the attempt to pit the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum against the party. Stop presenting a non-APC platform as if it were an APC alliance,’ it said.
The group reaffirmed its loyalty to Tinubu, the APC and candidates sponsored by the party, saying it would resist any development it considers a distraction to the party.