Former presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party, Martin Onovo, has alleged that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is “an APC man in PDP clothing,” accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress of masterminding the internal crises within opposition parties to tighten its grip on power ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In an interview with The Sun, Onovo claimed that it is no longer a secret among political elites that the APC is actively destabilizing rival parties by sponsoring factional conflicts. He alleged that the party’s ultimate goal is to impose loyalists within opposition structures, ensuring that President Bola Tinubu secures re-election, even without broad-based public support.
He said, “The ruling party is the rogue sponsor of the crisis in opposition parties. This is not a secret among party chieftains. The case of the PDP is much clearer than some other parties. Mr Wike, an APC man in PDP clothing is a Minister in the Tinubu administration. As the ruling party has failed catastrophically and is desperate to hold on to power, which it knows it will lose in any free and fair election, it has chosen to impose illegitimate leaders on opposition parties. These illegitimate or compromised leaders will endorse Tinubu for the 2027 general elections. Some of them have already started doing so.”
Onovo compared the situation to the late General Sani Abacha’s failed attempt to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. He warned that despite current efforts, the APC will not succeed in neutralizing credible opposition or imposing a political monopoly.
“In that way, the ruling party will ensure that authentic opposition candidates will have no platforms. This is a repeat of Gen. Abacha’s five leprous fingers on one hand. Abacha failed in his endeavour to become a dictator and turned Nigeria into a one-party state, I also believe Tinubu will fail in 2027, and all those political sycophants defecting to APC will be disappointed.”
Speaking on the zoning of the presidency, Onovo reaffirmed the importance of maintaining the rotational principle between the North and South. He emphasized that while power should remain in the South in 2027, it should not go to the APC or President Tinubu.
“The principle of rotation is a principal standard in Nigerian politics. It is comparable to the constitutional federal character principle. It must be respected. The principle of rotation must be respected. The President must come from the South. But it must not be Tinubu or APC. Both Tinubu and the APC have failed Nigerians. Presidency should remain in the South in 2027 based on the principle of rotation.”
