APC govs divided over removal of Uzodimma as PGF Chairman
*18 state executives back Imo governor
*PGF DG denies sack
*Peter Mbah initially tipped as replacement — Source
By Dapo Akinrefon & Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: Eighteen governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress APC have passed a vote of confidence in Hope Uzodimma as chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum PGF, dismissing reports of his replacement and reaffirming their solidarity ahead of the party’s 2027 primaries.
This was as the Director General of the forum, Folorunsho Aluko denied that any such removal was ever effected.
The dramatic sequence of events began on Thursday night when some members of the forum reportedly met at the Ogun State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja and announced Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State as the new leader of the group, in what sources close to the forum described as an attempted leadership coup.
Sources familiar with the matter said about 20 APC governors attended the closed-door meeting, including governors from Ogun, Bayelsa and Enugu states.
The development had come just hours after Uzodimma had spoken on behalf of APC governors during the submission of President Bola Tinubu’s presidential nomination and expression of interest forms in Abuja.
By Friday morning, PGF Director General Folorunsho Aluko had moved swiftly to douse the tension, flatly denying that any resolution to remove Uzodimma was ever passed.
“No meeting of the forum was held at which any such decision was taken. The PGF Secretariat has no record of, and is not aware of, any resolution removing the chairman,” Aluko said in a statement.
“His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodinma, remains the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum,” he declared, adding that the forum “remains united, focused, and committed to its responsibilities.”
Uzodimma subsequently summoned an emergency troubleshooting meeting of the governors on Friday afternoon at the Imo Lodge in Abuja.
Eighteen governors attended the closed-door session, at the conclusion of which they filed out to publicly reaffirm their support for his leadership.
Saturday Vanguard gathered that the Presidency had intervened in the matter, urging the governors to allow the status quo remain.
Governors present 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 Taraba State governor attended briefly before departing after a short meeting with the host.
Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, moved the motion for the vote of confidence, making clear that both Uzodimma and his deputy, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, retained their positions in the forum.
“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,” Idris said.
Sani, speaking after the meeting, described the earlier reports as unfortunate, insisting the forum remained firmly united.
“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”, he said.
Uzodimma himself sought to draw a line under the controversy, stressing that the governors were collectively focused on delivering for their people and securing the President’s return in 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,” he said.
“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.”
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