Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress on Friday moved swiftly to shut down mounting speculations over an alleged plot to remove Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, as chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, publicly reaffirming confidence in his leadership after days of political intrigue within the ruling party.
The emergency show of solidarity followed reports that a faction of governors had allegedly endorsed Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, as the new leader of the forum during a controversial meeting said to have taken place in Abuja on Thursday night.
But in what appeared to be a coordinated pushback against the claims, 18 APC governors physically present at a closed-door meeting held at the Imo Lodge in Abuja declared their loyalty to Mr Uzodimma, insisting there was no leadership crisis within the governors’ body.
The governors at the meeting included those of Ondo, Kaduna, Taraba, Sokoto, Ebonyi, Borno, Lagos, Kogi, Kano, Yobe, Kebbi, Benue and Jigawa states, while Nasarawa State was represented by its deputy governor.
The Governor of Taraba State reportedly attended briefly before leaving after a short meeting with the Imo governor, further fuelling political speculation around the rapidly unfolding power play within the forum.
Leading the endorsement of Uzodimma, Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, moved a formal vote of confidence in the Imo governor and the forum’s deputy chairman, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani.
“We don’t have any problem to justify what they have said. So, I want to seize this opportunity to move a vote of confidence in our chairman and his deputy,” Mr Idris said.
Mr Sani, speaking shortly after the meeting, dismissed reports of cracks within the APC governors’ camp, describing the reports as fabricated and exaggerated.
“What I can say here is that all of us woke up to that very unfortunate story, which was virtually in all the media in Nigeria. But the truth of the matter is that the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum is very united.
“We are stronger now than at any other time. And, of course, we are all supporting the President for what he has been doing.
“We also want to assure everyone that the APC is united, the governors are united, the forum is united, and there is no problem at all,” Mr Sani said.
Uzodimma, while dismissing the reports of division, said the governors had resolved to consolidate support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the next general elections, insisting that the APC remained focused despite intensifying internal calculations ahead of 2027.
“Governors of the All Progressives Congress are united and resolved to support the President and ensure that he emerges successfully in the upcoming elections in January 2027.
“So, we have decided to work harder, look after our people, demonstrate performance, and provide all the necessary social interventions that will make Nigerians happy. That is, in fact, the resolution we came up with this afternoon,” Mr Uzodimma stated.
