Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that he will not support Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma’s reported ambition to become President of the Senate in 2027, saying his opposition is rooted in their growing political disagreement rather than a personal dispute.
Wike made the declaration on Monday during an appearance on TVC News’ Journalists’ Hangout, while discussing his ongoing disagreement with APC governors over his Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The disagreement between Wike and Uzodinma has intensified in recent weeks following the APC governors’ rejection of political alliances that could operate outside the party’s structure.
Uzodinma, who chairs the Progressive Governors Forum, said the APC governors would support only candidates contesting under the party’s platform and would not endorse any arrangement capable of weakening the APC or affecting its candidates in 2027.
Wike, however, has maintained that his Rainbow Coalition is not an APC structure. According to him, the coalition is a cross-party platform created to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while allowing political parties to field their own candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
It is against this backdrop that Wike has accused Uzodinma of opposing his political activities and using his position as chairman of the APC Governors Forum to pursue interests beyond the collective agenda of the governors.
Asked specifically about Uzodinma’s reported ambition to become Senate President after completing his second term as Imo governor, Wike said he would not support it.
“Life or death, I will never support Hope Uzodinma to become the Senate President of Nigeria. Everybody knows that. Nobody should ask me questions about it, it is not personal,” Wike said.
Wike argued that Uzodinma was using his influence among governors to help determine who would emerge as senators and members of the House of Representatives ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to him, the strategy was connected to Uzodinma’s alleged ambition to secure support for the leadership of the 11th National Assembly.
“He wants to run for Senate president, and what he does is to say to his colleagues, let us be the ones, governors who will produce the senators and members of the House of Reps and some of the senators,” Wike said.
He added that some governors might support the arrangement without realising what he described as Uzodinma’s personal political interest.
Wike also accused the Imo governor of creating political problems and subsequently resorting to what he described as blackmail when attempts were made to resolve them.
“You cause internal problem for yourself and you do not have the capacity to solve the problem and all you do is to resort to blackmail,” he said.
The FCT minister further questioned Uzodinma’s political history, referring to the circumstances surrounding his emergence as Imo governor.
“Hope Uzodinma, who I’ve always said and I tell people, maybe, to God be the glory, he became a governor by taking fourth position,” Wike said.
Uzodinma became Imo governor in January 2020 after the Supreme Court overturned the election of Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party and declared Uzodinma the winner of the 2019 governorship election.
Wike’s latest comments come amid a broader political disagreement over the Rainbow Coalition, which has expanded beyond Rivers State as politicians from different parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.
The coalition has become a source of friction with APC governors because Wike remains a member of the PDP while serving in the APC-led Federal Government and is simultaneously mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election.
The APC Governors Forum has insisted that its members will support APC candidates at all levels, while Wike has maintained that supporting Tinubu for president does not prevent him or other coalition members from backing candidates of other parties in legislative and state elections.
Wike’s latest declaration therefore places Uzodinma’s reported Senate presidency ambition at the centre of their widening political disagreement, although the eventual leadership of the Senate will depend on the composition of the National Assembly after the 2027 elections and the subsequent decisions of elected senators.