18 APC Governors pass vote of confidence in Uzodimma as PGF chair

A total of 18 governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have passed a vote of confidence in Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, reaffirming his position as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and dismissing reports suggesting his replacement ahead of the 2027 political cycle.

The development followed a period of confusion within the forum after reports emerged late Thursday that some governors had met at the Ogun State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja and announced Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, as a new leader of the group.

Sources said about 20 APC governors attended the closed-door meeting, including governors from Ogun, Bayelsa and Enugu States, sparking claims of a leadership change within the PGF.

The situation escalated despite Uzodimma having earlier represented APC governors during the submission of President Bola Tinubu’s nomination and expression of interest forms in Abuja.

However, the Director-General of the PGF, Folorunsho Aluko, swiftly denied any leadership change, insisting that no meeting of the forum had produced such a resolution.

“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, stressing that Uzodimma “remains the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum.”

He added that the forum remained “united, focused, and committed to its responsibilities.”

In response to the controversy, Uzodimma convened an emergency meeting of APC governors on Friday at the Imo State Lodge in Abuja.

At the end of the closed-door session, 18 governors physically present publicly reaffirmed their support for his leadership.

Among those in attendance were governors from Ondo, Kaduna, Sokoto, Ebonyi, Borno, Lagos, Kogi, Kano, Yobe, Kebbi, Benue and Jigawa States, while Nasarawa State was represented by its deputy governor. The Governor of Taraba State attended briefly before leaving after a short engagement.

Moving the motion for a vote of confidence, Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, declared that Uzodimma and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani remain Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the forum respectively.

“We don’t have any problem to justify what has been said. I therefore move a vote of confidence in our chairman and his deputy,” Idris said.

Governor Uba Sani, speaking after the meeting, dismissed the leadership tension reports as misleading, insisting the governors remained united and focused on supporting President Bola Tinubu.

“What I can say here is that all of us woke up to that very unfortunate story. But the truth is that the APC Progressive Governors Forum is very united. We are stronger now than at any other time,” he said.

Uzodimma, in his remarks, emphasised unity within the ruling party and restated the governors’ commitment to supporting President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

“We are united and resolved to support the President and ensure his success in the upcoming elections,” he said, adding that the governors were focused on governance, performance, and delivering social interventions to Nigerians.