APC Governors’ Forum Split Deepens as Uzodimma, Abiodun Chairmanship Camps Emerge
A leadership crisis has erupted within the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), the umbrella body of governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as rival factions battle for control of the group.
Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo State and current chairman of the forum, has insisted that he remains in charge of the PGF alongside Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna State, who serves as deputy chairman.
However, another faction within the forum is reportedly backing Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun State, and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara State, as leaders of a new power bloc.
Governors believed to be aligned with Abiodun’s camp are from Adamawa, Zamfara, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Enugu and Katsina states.
On the other hand, governors supporting Uzodimma are from Kano, Taraba, Kebbi, Yobe, Lagos, Gombe, Kogi, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo, Sokoto, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Kaduna states.
In a show of solidarity, governors loyal to Uzodimma on Friday passed a vote of confidence in his leadership during an emergency meeting held at the Imo State Lodge in Abuja.
The meeting came just hours after the PGF dismissed reports claiming that Uzodimma had been removed as chairman of the forum.
Among those present at the meeting were Umar Namadi of Jigawa, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Nasir Idris of Kebbi, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Abba Yusuf of Kano and Ahmed Ododo of Kogi states.
Others included Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, Uba Sani of Kaduna and Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State.
Emmanuel Akabe, deputy governor of Nasarawa State, also attended on behalf of Governor Abdullahi Sule.
Despite the growing tensions, details surrounding the disagreement within the forum remain unclear, as neither faction has officially released a detailed statement explaining the cause of the division.
Earlier reports had claimed that Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu State, emerged as the new chairman of the PGF following an extraordinary meeting of APC governors in Abuja on Thursday night.
According to multiple sources, about 20 governors attended the closed-door meeting, including governors from Ogun, Bayelsa and Enugu states.