Wike declares opposition to Uzodinma’s Senate presidency ambition

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he will not support Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma’s reported ambition to become President of the Senate in 2027.

Wike made the statement on Monday during an appearance on TVC News’ Journalists’ Hangout, amid a growing political dispute between him and some APC governors over his Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.

The FCT minister said some politicians who were denied tickets in the APC’s nomination process had turned to alternative platforms, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to contest the 2027 elections.

He argued that if such candidates won their elections, they would not be obligated to support Uzodinma’s reported ambition to lead the Senate.

“Of course, 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 accused Uzodinma, who chairs the Progressive Governors Forum, of creating an internal political problem and lacking the capacity to resolve it, alleging that he had resorted to blackmail.

According to Wike, Uzodinma is approaching the end of his second term as Imo governor and is seeking election to the Senate in 2027 with an ambition to become Senate president. He alleged that the governor was seeking to influence the emergence of senators and House of Representatives members through the support of fellow governors.

The dispute is unfolding against the backdrop of Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, which he has described as a cross-party arrangement primarily aimed at mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.