Tensions inside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have intensified as senior party figures issue a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu over the growing influence and actions of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, in Rivers State.
Amid renewed hostilities between Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, APC leaders fear that the minister’s political maneuvers could fracture party unity and set the stage for a confrontation with the Presidency.
A member of the APC National Working Committee, who spoke anonymously to The Guardian, said the party may soon insist that Tinubu choose between the APC and the FCT minister if the trend continues.
“We may ask the President to choose between us and his FCT minister if Wike continues to act as though only he can defend the President’s political interests. He is not even a member of this party,” the source said.
The warning follows Wike’s declaration that Governor Fubara will not secure a second term in 2027 — a remark that angered many APC loyalists in Rivers State.
Party strategists argue that allowing Wike — who is not officially registered with the APC — to dominate political calculations in the state could undermine Tinubu’s interests ahead of the 2027 elections.
Former PDP National Vice Chairman (South-West), Eddy Olafeso, told The Guardian that Wike now finds himself politically isolated after Fubara moved faster, aligning with the APC before his former boss could reposition himself.
According to Olafeso, APC leaders have already made it clear that Fubara, not Wike, will be recognised as the party’s leader in Rivers — a development that has fueled calls among some members for Wike’s removal as minister.
