Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has declared he will never support Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma’s bid to become President of the Senate, escalating a bitter political feud that has exposed deep fissures within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the declaration on Monday during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, stating unequivocally that his opposition to Uzodimma’s Senate presidency ambition was absolute.
“This man’s office will expire in January 2028. Now, he wants to leave his office to run for Senate. I will never support a character of Hope Uzodimma to be Senate President of Nigeria,” Wike said. “Life or death, I will never support a character of Senator Hope Uzodimma to become the Senate President of Nigeria. Everybody knows that. Nobody should ask me questions about it. It is not personal”.
The minister’s remarks are the latest salvo in an escalating dispute between him and the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), the body of APC governors chaired by Uzodimma. At the heart of the conflict is Wike’s promotion of a cross-party political arrangement known as the “Rainbow Coalition,” which he says is designed to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 while accommodating candidates from other political parties in various elective positions.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who served as Rivers State governor before joining Tinubu’s cabinet, has repeatedly insisted that the coalition is not intended to undermine the APC but to broaden the President’s support base beyond party lines. “My primary concern is whether Tinubu will be re-elected for a second term, and I have made it known that I am going to support Mr President with all my might and strength,” he said.