Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that he will not support Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma in his reported ambition to become Senate President after the 2027 general election.
Wike made the declaration on Monday during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout.
The FCT minister alleged that Uzodimma’s political activities were partly driven by his ambition to secure the leadership of the Senate after completing his second term as Imo governor.
According to Wike, Uzodimma, who is also the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, is working to influence the emergence of lawmakers who would eventually support his Senate presidency ambition.
Wike said, “Hope Uzodimma became a governor by taking fourth position. He has 11 months to leave office. President Tinubu will be inaugurated by May 2027, and Uzodimma’s tenure will end around January 2028. Now, he wants to leave his office to run for Senate President.”
He alleged that the Imo governor had been encouraging APC governors to produce senators and members of the House of Representatives who would support his political plans.
“What he does is to tell APC governors to produce the senators and House of Reps members because of his agenda to become senate president,” Wike said.
The FCT minister further alleged that Uzodimma was concerned about senators who lost their APC tickets and subsequently moved to the Peoples Democratic Party, saying some of them could emerge victorious in the 2027 elections and refuse to support his bid for the Senate presidency.
“Governor Uzodimma is afraid that the senators who lost in APC and moved to the PDP might win and won’t support him to become senate president because they’re running with Wike’s support,” he said.
“Life or death, I will never support a character of Hope Uzodimma to become the senate president,” he declared.
The disagreement between Wike and Uzodimma has become more pronounced in recent weeks.
Uzodimma, in his capacity as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, recently said APC governors would not support political arrangements capable of weakening the party, undermining its candidates or affecting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Wike has been promoting the Rainbow Coalition while maintaining that his objective is to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election. He has, however, rejected demands that his support for the President should mean backing APC candidates in every other election.
In an earlier response to the APC governors’ position, Wike said he had never promised that opposition parties would abandon their candidates for governorship and National Assembly elections.
“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the reelection of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections,” Wike said.
The minister had also criticised Uzodimma over the APC governors’ rejection of his political coalition, telling the Imo governor that he was “lucky” Wike was not a member of the APC.
“In fact, he is lucky I’m not in APC because I wouldn’t take that kind of rubbish he is doing in APC,” Wike said in an earlier interview.
Wike’s latest comments also came during an interview in which he addressed claims by supporters of Peter Obi that the former Labour Party presidential candidate won Rivers State in the 2023 presidential election.
Dismissing the claim, Wike said Obi’s supporters won the election only “in their imagination” and challenged them to produce official documents supporting their position.
“They won by their own imagination,” Wike said. “Who did INEC declare to have won?”
He also asked whether Obi’s supporters were able to establish their claim during the legal challenges that followed the election.
“When they went to the tribunal, were they able to defend their claim?” he asked.
Wike said social media claims could not replace the official electoral process, adding, “You can win on social media; I’m not interested in social media winning.”
According to the results announced by INEC after the February 25, 2023 presidential election, Bola Tinubu of the APC polled 231,591 votes in Rivers State, while Obi received 175,071 votes. Atiku Abubakar of the PDP came third with 88,468 votes.