Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his Kano State counterpart, Abba Yusuf, are facing uncertainty over their chances of securing second-term tickets in the All Progressives Congress, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

Fubara has formally defected to the APC, while Yusuf is expected to join the ruling party anytime from now after his official resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party.

However, multiple sources in the APC say the governors’ return tickets are not guaranteed because powerful party leaders and entrenched political interests in Rivers and Kano states are contesting their ambitions.

This has triggered intense manoeuvring within the APC in both states, with governorship aspirants vowing to resist any attempt to impose the two governors and insisting that transparent and competitive primaries must be conducted ahead of the 2027 elections.

Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC on December 9, a move widely regarded as a political realignment aimed at securing his second-term ambition.

His defection heightened tension between him and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who insisted that Fubara’s second term is not guaranteed even under the APC.

While Wike has continued to push for President Bola Tinubu’s second term, he has also been mobilising Rivers stakeholders, including APC and PDP leaders, against Fubara’s return bid.

On the other hand, the Kano governor resigned from the NNPP alongside 21 members of the Kano State House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives and 44 local government chairmen on Friday, after weeks of reports about his move to join the APC.

However, the Deputy Governor of the state, Aminu AbdulSalam, and the National Leader of the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, remained in the party.

No assurance of return tickets

APC officials, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said while some of the ‘new APC governors’ had been assured of return tickets, no conclusion had been reached on Fubara and Yusuf.

One of the insiders, a member of the National Working Committee, cited the “peculiarity of the two states” as an impediment to the finalisation of their second-term tickets.

Speaking on what he described as defection and negotiation terms, the party official said the return tickets of some governors who joined the APC from the PDP had been finalised.

He said, “A major negotiation each of the then PDP governors had with us (APC leaders and the Presidency), with the approval of the President, was that their return tickets must be guaranteed. So, any governor who defects to the APC will get the ticket. It may not be automatic, but they will have their way.

“However, there are issues in Rivers and Kano states. Things are dicey; their return is tied to the stance of party leaders and other stakeholders in those states. As I speak to you, no concrete agreement has been made on Governors Fubara and Yusuf.”

Another senior APC official said while the APC Governors’ Forum was liaising with the party’s national leadership to secure return tickets for their new members, there were divisions over Fubara and Yusuf, as some were sceptical about the ability of the two governors to deliver victory for the party in their states.

He said, “The APC Governors’ Forum is a strong arm of the party. They virtually decide everything, except where the President has a vested interest. They fund campaigns and elections. They have concluded on the return tickets for their new members, but they are divided on Rivers, and nothing serious has been decided on Kano.

“The failure of the Kano governor to bring Kwankwaso to the APC is a big minus for him. Also, the former national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, has a favoured governorship aspirant, Nasiru Gawuna, who was our candidate in the 2023 elections.

“Similarly, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, is also a governorship aspirant. These are issues that need to be resolved before anybody can say whether Governor Yusuf will get a return ticket or not.

“On Rivers, Wike is a major force, and he has been using his networks to fight Fubara. If Fubara is to be returned, we (the APC) need to have an understanding with Wike and other Rivers stakeholders. The capacities of the two governors are being tested.”

Rivers, Kano gov aspirants

This is as the 2023 governorship candidate of the APC in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, said he would not step down for any other aspirant in the party.

Cole noted that he was prepared and committed to participating in the party’s primary, rejecting the idea of an automatic ticket for any aspirant.

He maintained that Fubara did not join “the right part” of the APC in Rivers, stressing the need for the APC leadership tussle in the state to be resolved between the Chief Tony Okocha and Emeka Beke factions.

“Everybody knows that Tony Okocha is Wike’s faction of the APC. It is not hidden; he owns the structure, and Okocha follows Wike all over the place. Has that group agreed with the President? That needs to be addressed quickly.

“In Rivers State, I don’t think the governor has crossed over to the right part of the party. So, there is still controversy there. If you are asking me to step down, on what basis?” he told Sunday PUNCH.

Similarly, the Kano State chapter of the APC said there would be no automatic ticket for the governor in the 2027 election.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Ahmed Aruwa, stated that every aspirant would have to participate in the governorship primary.

He said, “There is no provision for automatic tickets in the APC. Every aspirant, including sitting governors who defect into the party, must participate in the primaries.”