The national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Felix Morka, has described the perceived feud between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike’s Rainbow Coalition and APC governors as a “false battle,” insisting that both sides share a common interest in President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Morka made the remark following the release of the APC presidential campaign council list, which included Wike, despite earlier opposition from the Progressive Governors Forum to aligning with any coalition outside the party.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday , Morka said Tinubu was willing to accept support from opposition figures even if they chose to vote for candidates of other parties in legislative and governorship elections, describing such a decision as a democratic right.
“It was a false battle to begin with. I don’t think there was any real tension between those positions because they united in their extraordinary commitment to the re-election of the President. The PGF are obviously governors of the party, and the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is a public, ardent supporter of the President and serves in the government of the President.
“So as you can imagine, they have that common interest to ensure that the President is re-elected to office. So that alone, I think, really makes it a non-issue, of the issue that people try to make of some of the commentary and the appearance of tension between those positions.
“I think it’s clear now that this President is a president that actually pulls everyone—you know, multi-party collaboration—to himself. What we are witnessing today in our country is novel. It’s really a new dawn for democracy. Here we are seeing a president who is transcending all of the divides and really nullifying what I call the ‘politics of difference’ between these partisans, and bringing them together under the same, you know, umbrella to pursue a common agenda for the good of the people.
“And if you choose, in the exercise of your democratic liberty, to vote for somebody else on a different platform, that is also, you know, a democratic right.”
Morka maintained that it would be unreasonable for any candidate to reject votes from political opponents simply because they intend to support other parties in different elections, stressing that Nigerians have the democratic right to choose candidates across party lines.
“Do you know of any contestant in an election where even their most vicious opponent would say to that candidate, ‘I will vote for you,’ and that candidate would say, ‘No, you’re my opponent, don’t vote for me’? Have you ever heard of such a thing? Not just in Nigeria, anywhere in the world. When anyone who is opposed to you, for whatever reason, decides to support you in any election—it doesn’t have to be the presidency, for any other category of elections—you know, people embrace votes. You would say, ‘Thank you.’ What I’m saying is that what is going on, what you’re describing, is nothing unusual.”
Clarifying his position, Morka said Wike’s decision to mobilise support for Tinubu was not a directive from the President but an independent political choice, adding that the minister and his supporters had the constitutional right to back a candidate whose policies they favoured.
“The individual we’re speaking about, the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum, it’s not a member of APC. That is without controversy. He’s made it clear, he’s a member of the PDP. However, when he chooses himself, and those with him, or those he’s able to mobilize to support the President, that is his unquestionable constitutional liberty to do.
“And when he does that, it’s not about the President throwing—I mean, making a decision. It’s not the President’s decision. The President is not the one who’s making that vote.”
On the possibility of a similar arrangement in 2027 if Tinubu re-emerges as president, Morka said Tinubu had the prerogative to decide who serves in his government, adding that any appointments after the election would be at the President’s discretion and guided by the national interest.
“The President has all the prerogative to decide who works in his government or not. I can sit here as a campaign spokesperson. He has that liberty. If, after winning this election—which we believe he will win this election—and he decides to make appointments, that is within his prerogative to do so. And when he does so, he will do so in the vital interest of this country.”
Dismissing concerns about possible divisions within the APC, Morka insisted there were no cracks in the party over Wike’s inclusion in the presidential campaign council, noting that the minister’s nearly four years in Tinubu’s government had already established a precedent for cross-party collaboration.
“So there are no cracks and no concern in that manner. This is already a seven-minister federal republic of a vital office as the FCT. He’s been there now, if he completes his term, that’s four years serving as Minister of the Federal Republic.”
Highlighting the administration’s achievements, Morka described Tinubu’s leadership as a historic turning point for Nigeria, expressing confidence that ongoing efforts across the economy and other sectors would secure the President’s re-election in 2027.
“We’ll be selling to Nigerians what I call a program of, you know, real unprecedented resource momentum. We are witnessing, I think, an unprecedented historic effort by a president to really take Nigeria and launch Nigeria into the future.
“On all fronts, there’s no aspect of our national life you’re going to mention where this president is not making history. That’s what he’s doing, that’s why Nigerians are going to re-elect him on January 7, 2027.”
The APC national publicity secretary also added that Tinubu would travel across the country as part of the campaign, making stops to deliver his re-election message to Nigerians and promote the administration’s agenda.
“He’ll go around the country. He will, he will do, you know, all of this stops that are necessary to boost and deliver the message of the campaign to Nigerians.”
Favour Odima