By Caleb Ayemere
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu has reacted to the ongoing rift between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and governors elected on the platform of the ruling party.
Speaking in an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, Aliyu explicitly rejected the FCT Minister’s remarks against the Progressive Governors Forum, calling the statements “bad taste.”
The tension erupted after public comments attributed to Wike, in which he described the APC governors as “lazy” after they distanced themselves from his cross-party “Rainbow Coalition” ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking on the station’s flagship program, The Morning Show, Aliyu declared that members of the ruling party entirely reject Wike’s derogatory description of their governors.
“First of all, I think the comments of Wike are in bad taste, really, because the language he used to call our governors ‘four-one-niners’ or lazy, that’s really in bad taste, and we, all members of APC, reject that statement,” Aliyu said.
He emphasized that the APC governors were not acting individually, noting that the national chairman and the party’s core leadership were present at the recent meeting where the governors expressed their position on Wike’s Rainbow Coalition.
Aliyu stated firmly that while the party welcomes support from members of opposition parties, it remains committed to running a single, unified APC campaign structure across the country, managed directly by the governors in their respective states.
“We don’t want any situation where vote for APC, vote for PDP, or vote for any other party. As far as we are concerned, we want a unified APC campaign structure, which is exactly what we are setting at the national level and across the states as well,” he stressed.
The party chieftain urged the minister to watch his tongue and exercise humility, reminding him that despite serving as a minister in the APC-led government, he remains a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Wike should watch his words. What I’m saying… look, not even in terms of this party… there are allegations about the way he conducts himself, the way he talks to people, and so on,” Aliyu stated.
Addressing the minister directly, Aliyu warned against arrogance and reminded political office holders that positions of authority are transient.
“This life is transient. Not only Wike… all those in authorities, in position of authorities today, thinking because they are in authority… know that a day of reckoning is coming, either here or in the hereafter. So I mean, I call on Wike to be humble, to be humble, honestly,” he remarked.
He noted that while the APC governors chose not to explicitly mention Wike’s name when voicing their concerns, the minister resorted to personal attacks by calling out specific leaders.
Aliyu observed, “The governors in their wisdom, they never called his name… but I watched his interview… where he specifically called names of Hope Uzodinma, Okpebholo, governor, and so on. I think… he doesn’t need to do that. He doesn’t need to go that far. I mean, he doesn’t need to be this arrogant.”
Aliyu clarified that the ruling party will not condone public insults against its leadership under the guise of supporting the president, asserting that even if Wike has private political agreements with the presidency, the APC is not privy to them.
“If he said he had meetings or arrangements with Mr. President, well, that we in APC are not privy to. I’m sure he’s not privy to what we are also discussing with Mr. President,” Aliyu noted.
He further cautioned party members against joining issues or engaging in protracted verbal brawls with the FCT Minister, urging them to avoid distractions and focus instead on governance and political unity.
“I call on my party members not to join issues with Wike, because let’s not be a distraction to us,” Aliyu advised.
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