Tensions between President Bola Tinubu and some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are reportedly deepening, amid concerns that several northern governors are reluctant to openly support the President’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The growing distrust has also raised questions about the ruling party’s preparedness for the polls, with reports indicating that the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) has instructed candidates to submit the names of their proposed polling agents directly to the national secretariat rather than through state party structures.
The move is reportedly intended to prevent possible electoral sabotage by governors suspected of working against the party’s interests.
Following his return from an overseas vacation, President Tinubu reportedly expressed disappointment over what he considered the inadequate efforts of state governors to communicate the achievements of his administration to the public.
The concerns echo remarks made by Vice President Kashim Shettima about the limited support the President was receiving from northern governors. Shettima had reportedly observed that no more than five governors from the region were demonstrating tacit support for Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
However, the Vice President’s media office subsequently clarified that his comments referred to the period leading up to the APC presidential primary in 2022.
A conversation with a serving governor from the North-West, however, suggested that the concerns remain relevant within the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), the platform through which APC governors coordinate their activities.
The governor, who is seeking a second term, said that despite public efforts to portray relations between Tinubu and the governors as cordial, unresolved disagreements within the party were undermining its preparations for the 2027 elections.
According to him, many APC governors in the North are hesitant to actively campaign for the President’s second term. He claimed that a look at campaign billboards across northern states revealed a difference between urban centres and rural communities.
While some billboards promoting governorship candidates in major towns feature photographs of Tinubu and Shettima, he said, similar displays in more remote areas often omit the President.
DISAGREEMENTS WITHIN THE GOVERNORS’ FORUM
The governor declined to provide details about the reported strained relationship between Tinubu and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the PGF and serves as a secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
He nevertheless acknowledged that disagreements within the governors’ forum were affecting the wider Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).
According to him, Tinubu had promised to intervene in the dispute but had yet to take concrete steps to resolve it.
One source of disagreement concerns calls by some governors for Uzodimma to relinquish his position as PGF chairman and concentrate on his responsibilities within the Presidential Campaign Council and the Renewed Hope Ambassadors.
Uzodimma, however, reportedly maintains that the established practice is for the chairmanship to be handed over to a second-term governor after a general election.
The North-West governor identified three major factors behind the divided loyalties among some of his northern colleagues.
Among these, he cited the difficulties faced by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, despite his contribution to Tinubu’s electoral victory.
He also pointed to the President’s directive to the Ministry of Finance to publish details of financial disbursements, which some governors reportedly interpret as an attempt to scrutinise their handling of funds allocated to local government councils.
Another major source of tension, he claimed, is Tinubu’s public backing of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and his Rainbow Coalition.
The governor described the President’s support for Wike and the political alliance as a major factor further worsening relations between the Presidency and the governors’ forum.
APC BYPASSES STATE GOVERNORS OVER POLLING AGENTS
Meanwhile, sources within the APC leadership told The Guardian that the NWC’s decision to receive polling-agent nominations directly from candidates was designed to protect the party’s electoral interests.
The arrangement marks a departure from the established procedure, under which state party structures traditionally handle the submission of polling-agent names.
Party sources said the decision followed intelligence reports alleging that some governors were attempting to place their loyalists in positions as APC polling agents while simultaneously supporting candidates contesting under opposition parties.
The reported strategy is being applied particularly in states where the party’s national leadership suspects governors of backing rival candidates against APC flagbearers in the 2027 elections.
The development comes amid allegations by a South-West-based organisation, the Oodua Progressive Youths League, that some governors had encouraged aspirants who lost the APC’s National Assembly primaries to seek tickets from opposition parties and challenge the ruling party’s candidates.
In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Wale Abdulwaheed, the group alleged that some governors had also reached agreements with opposition parties over the selection of polling agents.
According to the organisation, the plan involved submitting the names of their loyalists, who remain APC members, as the party’s officially recognised polling agents in their respective states.
A serving National Assembly member from Ondo State, who is also an APC candidate for the 2027 elections, confirmed that the party had taken steps to bypass the state governor in handling polling-agent nominations.
The lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said candidates had been directed to submit their agents’ names directly to the national secretariat. He added that the relevant forms were already in the candidates’ possession.
AIYEDATIWA REJECTS ALLEGATIONS OF ANTI-PARTY ACTIVITIES
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has, however, denied allegations that he instructed any aspirant or candidate to contest against APC candidates under another political party.
He dismissed those accusing him of anti-party activities as “naysayers, blackmailers, and slanderers”.
Reaffirming his loyalty to the ruling party, Aiyedatiwa declared that he had never engaged in activities intended to undermine the APC.
“I have zero tolerance for anti-party activities. I have never engaged in anti-party activities in my life,” he said.
With disagreements reportedly persisting between the Presidency and sections of the APC governors’ forum, the party faces growing questions about its internal cohesion and ability to coordinate an effective campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.
