A fresh leadership crisis has erupted within the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), exposing growing cracks among governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The crisis, which has reportedly divided APC governors into rival camps, centres on the leadership of the influential forum currently chaired by Hope Uzodimma.
While Uzodimma has insisted that he remains the substantive chairman of the forum alongside his deputy, Uba Sani, another bloc of governors is said to be rallying behind Dapo Abiodun and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
The emerging division has heightened political tension within the APC, especially following reports of an alleged leadership shake-up during a closed-door meeting of governors in Abuja.
According to sources within the forum, governors aligned with Abiodun’s camp reportedly include those from Adamawa, Zamfara, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Enugu and Katsina states.
On the other hand, governors backing Uzodimma are said to include those from Kano, Taraba, Kebbi, Yobe, Lagos, Gombe, Kogi, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo, Sokoto, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Kaduna states.
Amid mounting speculation over his position, Uzodimma’s loyalists convened what insiders described as an emergency meeting at the Imo State Lodge in Abuja on Friday.
At the meeting, the governors reportedly passed a vote of confidence in the Imo governor, reaffirming their support for his continued leadership of the PGF.
Governors said to have attended the meeting include Umar Namadi, Hyacinth Alia, Nasir Idris, Mai Mala Buni and Abba Yusuf.
Others present were Ahmed Ododo, Francis Nwifuru, Babagana Zulum, Ahmad Aliyu and Agbu Kefas.
Also in attendance were Uba Sani and Lucky Aiyedatiwa, while Emmanuel Akabe represented his principal.
The emergency meeting came just hours after the PGF dismissed reports alleging that Uzodimma had been removed as chairman of the forum.
Earlier reports had claimed that Peter Mbah emerged as the new chairman of the PGF following what was described as an extraordinary meeting of APC governors held in Abuja on Thursday night.
Sources familiar with the meeting alleged that about 20 governors attended the session, including governors from Ogun, Bayelsa and Enugu states.
However, the PGF leadership swiftly denied the reports, insisting that no leadership change had occurred within the forum.
Despite the denials, the development has fuelled speculation over deepening divisions within the APC ahead of future political alignments and power negotiations within the ruling party.
Political observers say the PGF remains one of the most strategic organs within the APC due to its influence on national policy direction, party structure and electoral calculations.
The lack of an official explanation from either faction regarding the root of the disagreement has further intensified uncertainty surrounding the crisis.
As of the time of filing this report, neither camp had released a comprehensive statement detailing the issues behind the apparent split.
