A member of the House of Representatives has argued that the All Progressives Congress (APC) stands to lose more from a rupture with Nyesom Wike than the former Rivers governor and FCT minister would lose from leaving the party.
Abdulmumini Jibrin Kofa, who represents Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency in Kano State, made the case during an Arise TV interview on Monday, weighing in on Wike’s standing within the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Kofa said Wike’s political weight does not depend on holding office, predicting that other parties and interest groups would court him immediately if he exited the APC. He urged the ruling party to open a dialogue with Wike rather than confront him publicly.
Drawing a comparison to President Bola Tinubu, Kofa noted that political relevance can outlast time away from government — pointing out that Tinubu remained influential through roughly a decade and a half outside elective office before returning to power.
The lawmaker credited Tinubu’s decision to bring Wike into the administration with averting broader political fallout for the APC, suggesting it headed off what could have become an opposition coalition against the party.
Kofa also took aim at APC governors who recently used a press conference to publicly criticize Wike, calling the approach a misstep. He argued that each state’s political dynamics with Wike differ, and that private negotiation would have served the party better than a public confrontation.
He closed by distancing his remarks from any personal alliance with Wike, saying he has met the former governor only twice and does not consider himself close to him.
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