…Says He’ll Never Support Uzodimma for Senate President
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has drawn fresh battle lines with governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections, dismissing their concerns that the proposed Rainbow Coalition could undermine the ruling party.
CDA News Nigeria reports that speaking on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Monday, Wike said the coalition was primarily aimed at mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and would not prevent politicians from contesting governorship and legislative elections on their respective party platforms.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the minister alleged that the opposition of some APC governors to the coalition was driven by their political interests, particularly attempts to influence the emergence of the next Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. He specifically alleged that Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, was positioning himself to become Senate President after leaving office.
“Life or death, I will never support a character of Hope Uzodimma to be the Senate President of Nigeria. Everybody knows that,” Wike declared.
He said politicians who lost APC tickets could defect to the PDP or other opposition platforms, win their elections, and subsequently refuse to support the candidate preferred by the governors for Senate President or Speaker. He cited the G5 experience in 2023, saying members supported Tinubu for President while their parties retained their candidates for other elective positions.
The dispute followed the September 15 position of the APC Governors Forum that its members would neither participate in nor support any alliance capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election, weakening the APC, or affecting its candidates. Uzodimma, who read the forum’s communique, said the governors’ campaign commitment would be exclusively to APC candidates at all levels.
Wike also dismissed reports that Tinubu had agreed to concede nine states to the PDP or the Rainbow Coalition, challenging those behind the claim to identify the states. He maintained that his support for the President did not require the PDP to withdraw or abandon its candidates in other elections.
Sources within the ruling party told The PUNCH that the National Working Committee was already working behind the scenes to broker a truce, with the peace deal expected to take place upon the return of the APC national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, from vacation.
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Byline: By CDA News Nigeria Correspondent
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