Concerns rise within APC as President Tinubu faces growing influence of governors and ex-governors reshaping Nigeria’s political power structure
By Victor Ojelabi,
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political journey to the Presidency in 2023 was sold to Nigerians as the triumph of structure, resilience and personal political engineering.
Also read: When emotion becomes policy: Why Nigeria cannot outrage its way out of insecurity
Unlike many leaders who rode to power on the back of a nationwide emotional wave or elite consensus, Tinubu emerged from one of the most bruising presidential contests in Nigeria’s democratic history through calculated coalition building and years of strategic political investment.
But barely midway into his administration, a fresh debate is emerging within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC): has the President unintentionally created a new political monster by empowering governors beyond measure?
Across political circles in Abuja, the conversation is becoming louder. The concern is no longer just about governance or economic reforms.
It is increasingly about power succession, internal party dominance and the quiet but growing influence of governors who may soon migrate into the National Assembly carrying with them the same executive culture and appetite for control that defined their years in office.
At the heart of this conversation lies a fundamental question: who truly owns political power in contemporary Nigeria, the President or the governors?
The 2023 Election and Tinubu’s Personal Machinery
Tinubu’s emergence in 2023 did not follow the traditional route of unanimous establishment backing.
Several outgoing governors within the APC were either lukewarm toward his candidacy or focused primarily on securing political futures for themselves and their loyalists.
Many were preoccupied with succession battles in their respective states and ensuring continuity of influence after office.
What worked in Tinubu’s favour was a combination of his long cultivated political structure and the hunger for survival among serving lawmakers and party stakeholders who saw in him a pathway to their own victories.
The National Assembly bloc, particularly senators and House of Representatives members contesting elections at the time, became one of the strongest pillars behind his campaign.
They were not merely supporting a presidential candidate. They were fighting for their own political relevance in a rapidly shifting environment.
This reality is why some analysts now argue that attributing Tinubu’s victory solely to governors would amount to a dangerous political misreading of the forces that shaped the 2023 election.
The Rise of the Governor Class
Historically, governors have always been powerful actors in Nigerian politics. They control state resources, grassroots party structures and enormous patronage networks. But Tinubu’s economic reforms may have elevated that influence to unprecedented levels.
The removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira dramatically increased federal allocations to states.
Monthly disbursements from the Federation Account Allocation Committee surged, leaving governors with far more financial muscle than their predecessors.
Supporters of the reforms argue that the policy decisions were necessary to save Nigeria’s economy from collapse.
Critics, however, contend that the immediate political beneficiaries have been the governors, many of whom suddenly found themselves controlling expanded revenue streams with limited accountability mechanisms.
This financial empowerment has inevitably translated into political leverage.
Within APC circles, there is growing unease that some governors now see themselves not merely as subordinates within the party hierarchy but as co owners of federal power.
The Senate as the Next Battlefield
The anxiety deepened following the APC primaries and the increasing number of outgoing governors positioning themselves for Senate seats.
To many observers, this transition from governor to senator may reshape the power architecture of the National Assembly in ways Nigeria has never fully experienced before.
Unlike traditional legislators who rise gradually through parliamentary culture, former governors arrive in Abuja with executive instincts, political war chests, loyal networks and an appetite for influence developed over years of commanding state structures.
Critics fear that instead of serving as stabilising elder statesmen, many could transform the Senate into an extension of gubernatorial power blocs.
The implication is significant.
A Senate populated by powerful former governors may become less interested in legislative independence for democratic balance and more focused on negotiating power with the Presidency itself.
Executive bills could become bargaining chips. Confirmations could turn into political warfare. Party decisions may increasingly depend on elite consensus among former governors rather than ideological direction or national interest.
Even more critically, succession politics may begin far earlier than expected.
The Shadow of Second Term Politics
Presidential second terms in Nigeria have historically produced internal fractures. From the final years of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the tense internal dynamics under Muhammadu Buhari, the struggle over succession often weakens sitting administrations long before they leave office.
The fear among some APC insiders is that Tinubu could face a similar challenge.
Once second term politics begins, attention gradually shifts from governance to succession calculations. Political allies begin to reposition themselves. Loyalty becomes conditional. New alliances emerge quietly behind closed doors.
For outgoing governors entering the Senate, the temptation to shape the post Tinubu era could become irresistible.
This is particularly sensitive because Tinubu himself rose through strategic political networking and long term succession planning. Few politicians understand the mechanics of power transition better than he does.
Yet critics argue that the President may now be confronting the unintended consequences of building a system heavily dependent on powerful regional actors who no longer see themselves merely as followers.
The Perception of a Controlled Presidency
Another narrative quietly gaining traction is the perception that Tinubu, long regarded as a fiercely independent and decisive political operator, appears increasingly constrained by competing power interests within the ruling party.
For decades, Tinubu cultivated an image of a strategist who rarely bowed to pressure. His supporters admired his ability to take difficult decisions and maintain political authority even in turbulent circumstances.
However, some observers now question whether multiple internal interests are exerting excessive influence over the Presidency.
While there is no public evidence that the President has lost control of his administration, perceptions matter deeply in politics. Once the image of invincibility begins to weaken, political actors naturally test the boundaries of authority.
The coming years may therefore determine whether Tinubu consolidates presidential supremacy within the APC or whether the party evolves into a coalition of competing power centres dominated by wealthy ex governors and regional blocs.
A Defining Political Test
Ultimately, the debate goes beyond personalities. It touches on a recurring structural issue in Nigerian democracy: the concentration of power among political elites who continuously recycle influence across institutions.
Governors moving into the Senate is not inherently problematic. Experience in governance can enrich legislative debates and strengthen policymaking. But when executive power migrates wholesale into the legislature without shedding its command mentality, tensions become inevitable.
For Tinubu, the challenge may not simply be winning re election or sustaining economic reforms. It may be preserving authority within a political coalition that is already looking beyond him.
In Nigerian politics, today’s loyal ally can quickly become tomorrow’s negotiating adversary.
Also read: When emotion becomes policy: Why Nigeria cannot outrage its way out of insecurity
And as more governors prepare to exchange state houses for Senate chambers, Abuja may soon witness a new era of power politics, one where the battle is no longer between opposition and ruling party, but between a sitting President and the ambitious political forces his own administration helped empower.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
