The political landscape witnessed a fierce escalation as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) drew a definitive battle line against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his contentious political maneuvers.
Speaking strongly through a comprehensive stance delivered by the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Imo State Governor and Forum Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma, berated the FCT Minister for running parallel cross-party structures, warning that ego-driven grandstanding will no longer be tolerated within the ruling platform.
Governor Uzodinma noted that Wike’s self-serving theatrics and the creation of his controversial “Rainbow Coalition” amount to a Trojan horse designed to destabilize the APC from within.
He emphasized that true loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cannot coexist with running a parallel, conflicting political racket aimed at undermining authentic party candidates at the sub-national levels.
According to Uzodinma, “The APC is a disciplined, ideologically grounded mass party governed by rules, structures, and constitutional order, not a personal estate for political mercenaries.”
The Progressive Governors’ Forum made it unequivocally clear that Wike must be reined in. In a categorical message delivered on behalf of the forum, Governor Uzodinma stated:
“Wike should be educated to subsume his ego, clownish politics, and uncanny brashness to the leadership of the APC, and he should be told that Nigeria is practicing party democracy under APC progressive ideology, driven by President Tinubu, the APC Governors, and the National Assembly under the leadership of the APC.”
The governors maintained that any attempt to drive an artificial wedge between the party’s sub-national pillars and the national administration is a direct hostility toward the presidency.
Addressing Wike’s recent media salvos and claims regarding electoral dominance, Uzodinma punctured the Minister’s posture of infallible electoral benevolence.
The governors noted that real elections are won on the ground through grassroots connection, integrity, and structured party loyalty rather than through media soundbites and empty intimidation.
Uzodinma stressed that “politics is local, and no external godfather can substitute for genuine grassroots connection,” adding that contemporary Nigerian voters are discerning and immune to the theatrical bullying of transient political actors attempting to hijack party machinery for self-preservation.
The fiery exchange further exposed deep-seated anxieties regarding internal party cohesion ahead of the electoral cycle. Uzodinma warned that dual loyalties and disruptive subversions represent a clear and present danger to the stability of the ruling party.
He asserted that the collective steel and resolve of the progressive governors will not bend before political brigandage, noting that those who cannot conform to party discipline and collective resolutions must be checked and contained.
Ultimately, the Progressive Governors’ Forum signaled that the era of political freebooting within the APC has officially come to an end. With the political temperature reaching a boiling point, Governor Uzodinma’s uncompromising stance serves as a final reality check for the FCT Minister.
Concluding his warning, the governor maintained that Wike stands at a historic crossroads where he must align unreservedly with the established discipline of the ruling party under President Tinubu, or “get out of the kitchen.”
