A member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumini Jibrin Kofa, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) needs former Rivers Governor and minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike more than he (Wike) needs the party.
Kofa, who represents the Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, made the remark in an interview with Arise TV on Monday while discussing Wike’s political relevance and his relationship with the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to Kofa, Wike would remain politically influential even outside government and would attract political interest if he decided to leave the APC.
“I would have said much more than he needs us, because today if he pulls out of APC, he’ll be in high demand all over the country,” Kofa said.
He said the APC should therefore recognise Wike’s political value and engage him through dialogue rather than confrontation.
“What you need to do with Wike is to negotiate with Wike,” he said.
Kofa argued that Wike’s political relevance was not dependent on holding public office, comparing him with President Bola Tinubu.
“Every individual has his own qualities, blessings and the rest. And I said it the last time I was having a conversation that somebody like Wike, he will continue to be Wike in and out of office,” he said.
He added that Tinubu had similarly maintained political relevance after spending years outside elective office.
“The president today, you take him out as the president, he would still continue to maintain his relevance. After all, he was out of office for 16, 17 years, and his relevance was intact,” Kofa said.
The lawmaker said President Tinubu’s decision to engage Wike and bring him into his administration had helped strengthen the APC politically.
“If the president of the country hadn’t negotiated with Wike and brought Wike on board, today there would have been a rebellion coalition in this country against APC,” he said.
Kofa also urged APC governors to adopt a more pragmatic approach in dealing with Wike, saying the political circumstances in the affected states were not the same.
“So you’re being politically pragmatic. You just have to approach it in a pragmatic manner. And you see, the cases of the states are different. They are not the same. They are not uniform,” he said.
He criticised the governors’ decision to use a press conference to publicly confront Wike, arguing that dialogue would have been more appropriate.
“I believe that the modus they adopted by going to do the press conference just to hit hard on Wike, I believe that it’s wrong, because all the states, their cases are peculiar. They are different, the cases. And there’s nothing wrong in going into discussion with Wike,” Kofa said.
Kofa stressed that his position was not based on a close personal relationship with Wike, saying he had only met the former governor twice.
“Believe me, I don’t know Wike. This will surprise people. Between man and God, I don’t know him. I’ve met him only twice,” he said.