The silent political schism between the Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is taking a dramatic turn.
However, following what they described as good performance on road construction across the country, especially in the South-East, by the Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, a group known as Ndigbo for Tinubu for 2027 Forum (NDI-ABAT) yesterday assured President Bola Tinubu that the South-East will vote massively for him in the 2027 general election.
Uzodimma and the former Rivers State governor fell apart over the former’s support for incumbent Rivers GovernorSiminalayiFubara during the impeachment attempt by 27 Rivers lawmakers loyal to the FCT minister.
The Guardian discovered that the bad blood, sparked by the PGF chairman’s support for Fubara before and after the emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu a year ago, has led to hostility between him and the minister.
Checks by our correspondent showed that the supremacy battle between the PGF chairman and the minister is about to boil over following the search for a strategic team to mobilise support for President Tinubu’s re-election in the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones.
Findings revealed that while Wike has announced his capacity to deliver maximum votes for Tinubu and APC in the majority of South-South states, including Rivers, Cross River, Edo and Bayelsa, the Imo governor insists that APC has men enough on the ground to help the President win without looking for outsiders.
Uzodimma contends that anyone who believes in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu should be bold enough to join the APC, adding that politicians with questionable loyalty pose a risk not worth taking at this crucial point in the lead-up to the 2027 election.
“We do not want crafty politicians who want to scam APC in the guise of supporting our leader and President. The President has said that when friendship and party clash, he would choose his party. We stand by that,” he stated.
However, in a veiled retort, Wike, who is also working to support governorship candidates in Enugu, Imo and Cross River, stated that in his lifetime, no governor could come into Rivers to install any politician, whether as governor or lawmaker.
Speaking when he convened a high-level stakeholder meeting with members of the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers, Tuesday night, at his Life Camp Residence in Abuja, Wike warned against blacklegs, stressing that he would not allow any external interference, especially from governors planning to support various candidates in Rivers.
The FCT minister, who has yet to endorse the second term of Governor Fubara after the peace accord prompted by Tinubu, maintained that no incumbent governor would come to Rivers and make “anybody in my state win” in the name of solidarity while he is still active.
The Guardian gathered that, despite the minister’s warning, the immediate past Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, who is a core member of Uzodimma’s camp, is banking on the Wike-led PDP to re-contest the Enugu governorship poll.
Nnaji, who lost the 2023 governorship to Governor Peter Mbah, accused the Enugu governor of orchestrating the tampering of his academic records in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), which led to his premature resignation from the President Tinubu cabinet.
It could also be recalled that Wike fell apart with Mbah over the latter’s decision to support the former PDP Deputy National Vice Chairman, South-East, Ali Odefa.
Nnaji’s plan to return to PDP for the repeat contest is seen as a continuation of the battle between Wike and Mbah.
In a statement signed by the National Coordinator, NDI-ABAT, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and General Secretary, Dr Ugwuoke Ugwuoke Jr, the group hailed the reopening of the long-neglected Enugu–Onitsha Expressway, on Tuesday, as a landmark achievement, adding that for three decades, the highway suffered neglect, resulting in tragic accidents, economic losses, and hardship for countless commuters.
NDI-ABAT noted that the expressway’s reconstruction using concrete cement technology was made possible by President Tinubu’s leadership and Umahi’s direct oversight.
“Without Umahi’s supervision and the resources allocated to him by Tinubu, the South-East would still be struggling with dilapidated roads. His performance has provided tangible evidence that the Federal Government is addressing long-standing grievances in the region,” he declared.
While sending a direct message to President Tinubu, the group said: “There are very few genuine allies in the APC, who are working tirelessly for your success in the South-East. Umahi stands out as the number one person ensuring that your government’s achievements are recognised and that your 2027 re-election bid is successful.”
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