A former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Farouq Aliyu, has accused Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of arrogance amid his growing disagreement with APC governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Aliyu spoke on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he reacted to Wike’s criticism of APC governors and the party’s opposition to political alliances that could affect its candidates in 2027.
Wike had, during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, described APC governors as “politically lazy” while commenting on political realignments ahead of the elections.
His remarks followed a resolution by the APC Governors’ Forum rejecting political alliances that could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or weaken the party’s candidates.
The governors reached the resolution at a closed-door meeting in Abuja amid growing attention on Wike’s proposed “Rainbow Coalition.” The forum’s chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, said the governors were committed to strengthening the APC and protecting the electoral interests of the party and its candidates.
Reacting to the development, Aliyu said Wike’s approach amounted to political arrogance, while acknowledging his past actions against the Peoples Democratic Party.
“Arrogance is not good in politics. We are not trying to be arrogant to the Nigerian people, but that’s what we think Wike is bringing,” Aliyu said.
He added that although the APC appreciated Wike’s past actions, the party would not allow him to use it to rebuild the PDP.
“Now, we will not allow him to also use our party, the APC, to build his own party, the PDP. He cannot come through the back door in the name of support for President Tinubu,” he said.
The disagreement also intensified in Ebonyi State, where Governor Francis Nwifuru said he had the political capacity to confront anyone seeking to undermine his administration.
Nwifuru, who spoke at a political event in Abakaliki on Wednesday, also dismissed claims that President Tinubu had agreed to hand Ebonyi State to the PDP and Wike ahead of the 2027 elections, saying he was not intimidated by any political arrangement.
