Why APC Governors Are Against Wike – Onoh

A former spokesperson for Bola Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign in the South-East, Denge Josef Onoh, has attributed the growing tension between Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and several All Progressives Congress governors to a long-standing history of political aggression and strategic mobilization.

In a public statement issued from Lagos responding to Wike’s recent remarks against certain APC governors, Onoh detailed the minister’s political trajectory over the years, tracking his path from his tenure as chairman of the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area between 1999 and 2007, to serving as Chief of Staff to then Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and later as Minister of State for Education under Goodluck Jonathan amid political confrontations.

Onoh also evaluated Wike’s bid during the 2022 Peoples Democratic Party presidential primary and the subsequent establishment of the G-5 Governors, arguing that those maneuvers stemmed from internal party fallout rather than any true devotion to power rotation, while noting, “I was one of the few PDP former members in the Tinubu presidential campaign that suggested bringing Wike into our campaign,” adding that subsequent events had vindicated his stance.

Furthermore, Onoh criticized Wike’s comments regarding the electoral performance of South-East governors in 2023—noting that the region’s voting pattern was heavily influenced by Peter Obi’s popularity—and pointed out that administering Abuja differs significantly from Rivers State due to heightened international scrutiny over controversies like land demolitions.

Addressing Wike’s relationship with the ruling party, Onoh claimed the minister’s continued influence over opposition structures alongside his role in an APC government has placed him in a friction zone with party governors who fear it may compromise grassroots structures, while questioning the motives behind a potential “Rainbow Coalition.”

To conclude, Onoh urged President Tinubu to safeguard the unity of the ruling party by resolving conflicts between party leadership and competing political factions, stating, “No administration can successfully govern or secure a national mandate by alienating the formal party executives and governors who command the legal machinery of our ruling party.”