I’ll Never Support Hope Uzodinma to Become Senate President — Wike

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.

Wike made the declaration on Monday during an appearance on TVC News’ Journalists’ Hangout, amid a growing political disagreement between him and some All Progressives Congress governors over the Rainbow Coalition.

The FCT minister accused Uzodinma, who chairs the Progressive Governors Forum, of using his position among APC governors to influence the emergence of senators and members of the House of Representatives who could eventually support his reported Senate presidency ambition.

Wike said politicians who were denied tickets by the APC during its nomination process had sought alternative platforms to contest the 2027 elections.

According to him, if such politicians win their elections on other platforms, they would not necessarily support Uzodinma’s reported ambition to lead the Senate.

“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.

He also accused Uzodinma of creating an internal political crisis and subsequently resorting to what he described as blackmail.

Wike further claimed that Uzodinma was seeking to contest for the Senate after completing his tenure as Imo governor, with the ultimate objective of becoming Senate President.

He alleged that the governor was encouraging fellow APC governors to influence the emergence of lawmakers who would support his political plans.

“Let us be the ones, governors, who will produce the senators and members of the House of Representatives,” Wike quoted Uzodinma as saying.

The FCT minister also questioned the circumstances surrounding Uzodinma’s emergence as governor of Imo State, referring to the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision that overturned the election of Emeka Ihedioha and declared Uzodinma the winner of the 2019 governorship election.

The latest exchange is part of a broader disagreement over Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political arrangement through which he has been mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Wike has maintained that the coalition is not an APC structure and that political parties should remain free to field candidates for governorship and legislative elections.

APC governors, however, have insisted that they will support candidates contesting under the party’s platform and have expressed opposition to arrangements they believe could weaken the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

The dispute has further widened the political differences between Wike and Uzodinma as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.