Ima Niboro, spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, has called on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and APC governors to move away from their ongoing public exchanges and concentrate on building support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.
Niboro made the call on Wednesday during an appearance on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, where he described the disagreement between Wike and the governors as a “quarrel among siblings.”
The dispute followed Wike’s criticism of APC governors after they rejected his proposed Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party arrangement he has presented as a means of mobilising support for Tinubu.
The chairman of the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, had said the governors would not support any political arrangement that could weaken the APC or affect its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Wike subsequently questioned the political records of the governors, particularly Uzodimma’s ability to secure support for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election. He has also maintained that his focus for 2027 is to mobilise support for Tinubu rather than determine which candidates other parties field in state-level contests.
Reacting to the continued exchanges, Niboro urged both sides to spend less time trading words publicly and instead strengthen their political structures and engage voters directly.
“When I said tone down the rhetoric, I do not mean stop working. Stop talking, go and work,” he said.
He challenged the political leaders to demonstrate their influence by returning to their respective political bases and engaging with voters.
“All this shouting is not taking anybody anywhere. Go and work. Go and establish your authority on your political base,” he said.
Niboro further urged them to take their political engagement beyond television appearances and meet voters directly in their communities.
“Get on the TV cameras. Go to the people. Go to the streets. Go to the marketplaces. Go and win the people.”
He also criticised what he described as excessive public rhetoric, saying political leaders should focus their energy on actual grassroots mobilisation.
“Stop all this high-sounding grammar that they are blowing everywhere is not leading anybody anywhere. Go and work.”
Niboro clarified that his message was not for Wike or the governors to abandon their respective political interests. Instead, he said they should demonstrate their influence through direct engagement and political organisation.
“If you’re a political leader, stop talking. Go and work. That is my point,” he said.
The disagreement between Wike and the APC governors comes amid ongoing discussions among political actors over how support for Tinubu should be organised ahead of the 2027 election.
