A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, has described the comments by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, against APC governors as being in “bad taste.”
Aliyu made the remarks on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Thursday while reacting to the ongoing disagreement between Wike and governors elected on the platform of the ruling party.
Wike had described the APC governors as “lazy” and “four-one-niners” after the Progressive Governors Forum distanced itself from his cross-party “Rainbow Coalition” ahead of the 2027 general election.
Reacting to the comments, Aliyu said APC members rejected Wike’s description of the 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 is really in bad taste, and we, all members of APC, reject that statement,” he said.
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Aliyu said the governors were not acting individually, noting that the APC national chairman and other party leaders were present at the meeting where the governors stated their position on the Rainbow Coalition.
He said the APC welcomed support from members of opposition parties but would maintain a unified campaign structure for the 2027 election.
“We don’t want any situation where we 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 said.
The APC chieftain also urged Wike to be measured in his comments, noting that the minister remains a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party despite serving in the APC-led federal government.
“Wike should watch his words,” Aliyu said, urging the minister to exercise humility.
He further criticized Wike for mentioning individual APC governors by name, saying the governors had not directly named him when expressing their concerns over his political activities.
“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,” Aliyu said.
He also said the APC would not accept public insults against its leadership in the name of supporting President Bola Tinubu.
Aliyu, however, advised APC members against engaging Wike in a prolonged verbal exchange, saying the party should remain focused 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,” he said.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.