The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has vowed not to support Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma’s reported ambition to become the President of the Senate after the 2027 general elections.
The former Rivers State governor alleged that Uzodimma’s opposition to his political activities was connected to the Imo governor’s reported ambition to emerge as Senate President.
Wike stated this on Monday while appearing as a guest on TVC where he spoke about his ongoing political disagreement with Uzodimma and other members of the All Progressives Congress.
According to Wike, Uzodimma was seeking to influence the emergence of senators and members of the House of Representatives who would eventually support his bid to lead the upper chamber.
Wike said, “He wants to run for Senate President and what he does is to say to his colleagues, let us be the ones that will produce the senators and members of the House of Representatives.”
He alleged that some APC politicians who were denied tickets had moved to other platforms, including the Peoples Democratic Party, to contest the 2027 elections, and argued that their emergence could affect Uzodimma’s reported ambition.
Wike said such lawmakers, if elected, might not support the Imo governor’s bid because of the political backing they received from his camp.
He declared that he would not support Uzodimma’s reported Senate presidency ambition, irrespective of the political consequences.
“Life or death, I will never support a character of Hope Uzodimma to become the Senate President of Nigeria,” Wike said.
The FCT minister also questioned Uzodimma’s political trajectory, recalling that the governor emerged as Imo State governor despite finishing fourth in the initial election results.
Wike further noted that Uzodimma’s second term as governor is expected to end in January 2028, while suggesting that the governor was already positioning himself for a political career at the National Assembly.
The latest exchange comes amid growing tensions between Wike and some APC governors over the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political arrangement with which the FCT minister is associated ahead of the 2027 elections.
Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum, has been among the APC governors publicly opposed to political arrangements that they believe could affect the party’s structure and candidates in the 2027 elections.
Wike, however, has maintained that the coalition is not designed to weaken the APC and has said his major political priority is supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.