Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says he will never support Hope Uzodimma, Imo governor, to become president of the senate.
Wike spoke on Monday during his appearance on Journalists’ Hangout, a programme on TVC.
“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,” he said.
Wike alleged that Uzodimma was seeking to influence the emergence of lawmakers who would support his ambition to become senate president.
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Wike’s comment is the latest development in the ongoing rift between him and the All Progressives Governors’ Forum, led by Uzodimma.
Last week, the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) said it would not endorse any alliance or political arrangements that could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections.
The governors were alluding to the rainbow coalition, a cross-party alliance associated with Wike that is backing Tinubu’s re-election bid.
In January, Wike, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, said the coalition is a shift from party politics to a collective political movement focused on advancing the state’s interests.
BACK STORY
The Imo governor, who is seeking to return to the red chamber, is said to be eyeing the senate presidency seat.
But in May, the senate amended its standing rules to significantly narrow eligibility for presiding and principal offices.
The revised rules stipulate that only senators with at least 8 years of continuous service in the chamber may run for the positions of senate president and deputy senate president.
The amendment also rewrites the pathway to other powerful offices in the red chamber.
Order 4 provides that the nomination of senators for presiding offices must strictly follow ranking.
The ranking includes the former senate president, former deputy senate president, former principal officers, senators who have served at least one term, former members of the house of representatives, and first-time senators where others are unavailable.
Order 5 goes further to state that no senator shall be eligible to contest for any principal office unless he has served at least two consecutive terms immediately preceding nomination.
The amendment effectively locks out incoming senators in 2027 who were not members of both the 9th and 10th senates from the race for senate president, deputy senate president, senate leader, chief whip, minority leader and other influential positions.
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Insiders had told TheCable that the amendment was less about parliamentary procedure than political calculation.
Before the changes, any ranking senator — defined as one who had spent at least four years in the national assembly — could contest for presiding offices.
That provision kept the door open for several heavyweight politicians seeking a return to the senate in 2027, including Uzodimma, who had served one term as senator.
Insiders familiar with the parliamentary manoeuvring informed TheCable that the amendment was a “pre-emptive strike against ambitious returnees — particularly Uzodimma”.
