Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he will not support Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Hope Uzodimma, for the position of Senate President.
Wike made the statement on Monday during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout in Abuja, where he discussed opposition by some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors to the proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Uzodimma, however, has declined to respond to the minister’s remarks.
When contacted, the Imo State governor, through his Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Public Orientation, Declan Emelumba, said he would not comment on Wike’s statement.
Emelumba said the governor did not want “to react to the comment as credited to Wike for obvious reasons.”
Wike linked the opposition to the Rainbow Coalition by some APC governors to what he described as attempts to influence the composition and leadership of the National Assembly after the 2027 elections.
He alleged that some governors wanted to influence the emergence of senators and members of the House of Representatives who would support their preferred candidates for leadership positions in the federal legislature.
“APC, in their ongoing party primaries, the governors, in their own wisdom, believe that they should be able to put senators or House of Representatives members who they will dictate to on who will become the next Senate President or Speaker,” Wike said.
The minister specifically mentioned Uzodimma, alleging that the Imo governor was interested 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.
He said his opposition was based on political considerations rather than a personal disagreement with the Imo governor.
Wike also argued that politicians could support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election while backing different candidates for other elective positions.
He cited the example of the G5 governors during the 2023 elections, saying the group supported Tinubu’s presidential bid but did not withdraw support for their candidates in legislative and state elections.
“In 2023, the G5 leadership said we were going to support Mr President. But we never said that all our candidates in other elections will fail,” he said.
According to Wike, Tinubu won Rivers State in the 2023 presidential election while candidates backed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won several legislative and state positions.
He said the voting pattern demonstrated that Nigerians could make different choices in presidential, legislative and governorship elections.
Wike also rejected claims that the Rainbow Coalition was intended to weaken the APC, saying its objective was to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The minister further dismissed reports that Tinubu had agreed to concede nine states to him or members of the coalition.
“Which are those nine states? Tell us that they said the President agreed with me that he is conceding nine states,” Wike said, challenging those making the allegation to provide evidence.
Wike said his role was to highlight the achievements of the Tinubu administration and mobilise support for the President ahead of the 2027 election.
“Mr President is showing his report card. We are telling Nigerians what he has been doing and why he should be re-elected,” he said.
He cited the Federal Government’s support for state police and other reforms as policies he would point to while campaigning for Tinubu.
The comments come amid disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over the proposed Rainbow Coalition. The PGF has maintained that its members will support Tinubu and APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
