An All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker representing a Kano State constituency in the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has cautioned members of his party against picking a fight with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, warning that doing so could cost the APC dearly. Speaking on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, monitored by Legit.ng, Jibrin addressed the growing friction between Wike and some APC figures as the 2027 elections draw closer.
Jibrin: 'We Are Going to Lose a Lot'
“If he comes into APC, we are going to lose a lot. This is not the time to try to embarrass or try to fight Wike,” Jibrin said, calling on party actors to approach the former Rivers State governor with restraint. His remarks follow a series of public disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over his Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party platform he has been using to rally support for President Bola Tinubu's 2027 re-election campaign.
Wike has maintained that backing Tinubu through the coalition does not commit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of which he remains a member, to withdrawing from governorship or legislative contests in 2027. He has also been clear that the Rainbow Coalition is not an APC structure but a multi-party support vehicle.
Clashes with Governors Uzodimma and AbdulRazaq
Despite that position, the minister has publicly clashed with governors including Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State. Wike has accused unnamed politicians of working to undermine his activities, while insisting that his core objective is securing Tinubu's return to office.
Jibrin argued that with political alignments still shifting ahead of 2027, this is not the moment for the APC to antagonise a figure of Wike's reach and influence. He suggested that moves to weaken or embarrass the minister could produce consequences the party may not be prepared to absorb.
Broader Unease Within the APC
The lawmaker's comments reflect a broader unease within the APC about how to manage the politics surrounding Wike, who remains one of the most prominent political brokers in Nigeria without being a card-carrying member of the ruling party. Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Wike said his mission ahead of the 2027 elections is to ensure that opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi, remain politically unsettled and under pressure.
The FCT minister insisted there is currently no credible, organised opposition in Nigeria, saying internal divisions within the PDP had left the political landscape without a clear frontrunner to challenge President Tinubu.
