Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors' Forum (PGF), Hope Uzodimma, has reacted to the statement by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that he would not support his reported ambition to become President of the Senate. Wike made the statement on Monday during an appearance on TVC's Journalists' Hangout.
Wike spoke about the growing disagreement between him and some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over his proposed Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections. The minister specifically mentioned Uzodimma while discussing what he described as political calculations surrounding the emergence of the next leadership of the National Assembly.
Uzodimma chose not to engage Wike over the matter, instead speaking through his Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Public Orientation, Declan Emelumba. Emelumba said the governor did not want "to react to the comment as credited to Wike for obvious reasons." This response came shortly after Wike publicly ruled out supporting Uzodimma for the Senate presidency.
Wike alleged that some APC governors were opposed to the Rainbow Coalition because of concerns about their influence over the composition and leadership of the next National Assembly. According to the minister, some governors wanted to have a strong say in the emergence of senators and members of the House of Representatives who would eventually determine who occupies the Senate presidency and the Speakership after the 2027 elections.
The disagreement between Wike and Uzodimma is linked to Uzodimma's reported interest in becoming Senate President after completing his tenure as Imo governor. Wike was categorical about his position on the matter, stating that he would never support a character like Hope Uzodimma to be Senate President of Nigeria.
Uzodimma, who is currently serving as chairman of the PGF, has maintained a position against arrangements that could weaken the APC or affect the party's candidates in the 2027 elections. The APC governors had met in Abuja last week and declared that they would not support any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid or the party's candidates.
Wike has insisted that his Rainbow Coalition is primarily designed to mobilise support for President Tinubu's re-election. He has maintained that supporting Tinubu does not require politicians to support APC candidates in every other election. The former Rivers State governor has also rejected claims that the coalition was created to undermine the APC.
Key points
- Wike rejects Uzodimma's Senate presidency ambition
- Disagreement between Wike and Uzodimma over Rainbow Coalition
- Uzodimma declines to respond to Wike's comments
