APC Chieftain Rejects Wike’s ‘Lazy, 419’ Remarks Against Governors

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, has criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his description of some APC governors as “politically lazy” and “419ners.” Aliyu made the remarks during a television interview as tensions continued between Wike and members of the APC Governors’ Forum over his proposed “Rainbow Coalition” ahead of the 2027 general elections. The disagreement followed the APC governors’ rejection of political arrangements they believe could undermine the party’s structure or its candidates in the forthcoming elections. Wike subsequently criticised the governors, describing them as politically lazy over their opposition to his political initiative. Reacting to the comments, Aliyu said members of the ruling party rejected Wike’s choice of words. “We in APC reject this name-calling by Wike, calling our governors ‘lazy, 419,’” Aliyu said. He argued that Wike should not dictate how APC governors conduct their political campaigns, stressing that the party was working toward a unified campaign structure. Aliyu also said Wike’s comments could create unnecessary tension within the party and urged him to be more measured in his public statements. According to him, APC members could welcome support from individuals outside the party, but the party would continue to operate under its own campaign structure. The disagreement comes as political actors across Nigeria begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections. Source: GistReel, with the comments independently reported by Vanguard and other Nigerian news outlets. https://www.gistreel.com/we-wont-tolerate-wike-calling-our-governors-lazy-419-apc-chieftain-farouk-aliyu/