The political disagreement between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has taken a new turn, with Wike declaring that he would not support Uzodimma for President of the Senate after the 2027 elections.
Wike made the statement on Monday during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, where he also addressed opposition from some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to his proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to Wike, the disagreement is not primarily personal but is connected to competing political interests surrounding the 2027 elections and the eventual leadership of the National Assembly.
The FCT Minister alleged that some governors were seeking to influence the election of senators and members of the House of Representatives who would subsequently support their preferred candidates for National Assembly leadership.
Wike specifically linked the situation to what he described as Uzodimma’s reported interest in becoming Senate President after completing his tenure as governor.
“I will never support a character like Hope Uzodimma to be Senate President of Nigeria. Everybody knows that,” Wike said.
Uzodimma, through his Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Public Orientation, Declan Emelumba, declined to respond directly to Wike’s comments, saying the governor did not want to react to the statement “for obvious reasons.”
The dispute comes amid an increasingly public disagreement between Wike and the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), which is chaired by Uzodimma.
The PGF recently said its members would support President Bola Tinubu and APC candidates at all levels in the 2027 elections, while rejecting political arrangements that could weaken the party or create divided loyalty.
Wike, however, has maintained that his Rainbow Coalition is primarily focused on mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election and does not prevent other parties from fielding candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
He also dismissed claims that Tinubu had agreed to concede nine states to him or the coalition, challenging those making the allegation to identify the states allegedly involved.
Wike further argued that voters could support Tinubu for president while voting for candidates from other political parties in legislative and state elections, citing the voting patterns recorded during the 2023 elections.
