Some state governors running for reelection are currently encountering obstacles ahead of the 2027 general elections due to a falling out with their political godfathers.
Before 2027, some governors, particularly those from opposition parties, sought refuge in the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal administration; nevertheless, their godfathers were left behind.
After deciding to join the APC, Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, and Abba Yusuf, the governor of Kano State, clashed with their political godfathers.
Their re-election campaign is in jeopardy due to the face-off, as the godfathers have promised to continue being a roadblock.
According to reports, Governor Abba Yusuf is at odds with his estranged godfather, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the leader of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), while Governor Fubara is engaged in a feud with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.
Yusuf versus Kwankwaso
Rabiu Kwankwaso, the NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, and Governor Abba Yusuf recently clashed over the governor’s choice to join the ruling party.
According to reports, the governor’s advisers and members of the State House of Assembly have verified his intention to switch from the NNPP to the APC, despite the fact that he has not yet made a public announcement regarding his defection.
Due to the strong support of the Kwankwassiyya Movement, which was led by the NNPP leader himself, Governor Yusuf clearly won the 2023 gubernatorial election.
Since Yusuf decided to leave the NNPP, the support is currently being withheld.
Over the weekend, it was learned that a number of the NNPP leader’s loyalists who are currently working under Governor Yusuf are scheduled to step down.
Insiders claim that Mustapha Kwankwaso, the Kano State commissioner for youth and sport, will be leaving his position prior to the governor’s impending defection.
It was also discovered that as soon as Kwankwaso joins the ruling party, at least seven more of his supporters will remove him from the governor’s cabinet.
This is despite reports that the NNPP started looking for Yusuf’s successor in advance of the 2027 election.
Fubara vs. Wike
Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers, has at least three disagreements with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, since the general election of 2023.
The governor’s decision to side with the ruling party and his purported decision to back out of a claimed deal that President Bola Tinubu arranged between them during the State of Emergency in Rivers are what sparked the most recent conflict between the two.
According to rumors, the governor signed an agreement during the peace pact not to seek for a second term, even though the agreement was not made public.
With the support of senior APC leaders, there have been indications that the governor is prepared to be re-elected after his defection to the ruling party.
In an effort to regain control of the state’s political system before 2027, Wike spent 17 days in Rivers State touring its 23 Local Government Areas.
The former governor pledged that Governor Fubara would not be re-elected, citing the possibility that the governor’s return in 2027 would put an end to his (Wike) political career.
Plot to impeach
Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who support the FCT Minister have started the process of impeaching the governor and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, without waiting until 2027.
On Thursday, the assembly accused the governor and his deputy of egregious misbehavior and handed them with an impeachment notice.
They cited Fubara’s purported failure to submit the 2026 budget to the legislature and accused the governor of using Rivers State funds illegally.
Sydney Gbara, the immediate former publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, claimed in an interview with DAILY POST that the National Assembly cleared the 2025 budget during the emergency rule and called the impeachment process a useless diversion.
“It’s an unnecessary distraction in the state because you will start to question the motive behind an action that keeps happening without a valid reason,” he stated.
The National Assembly enacted the 2025 budget in June of last year during the emergency rule, and Mr. President signed it into law. This is one of the main accusations made by the assembly members against the governor.
“Every budget has a one-year lifespan, which means that the National Assembly’s budget will be in effect until July of this year.”
He claims that a budget that has already been approved and approved by the president cannot be represented by Governor Fubara.
