The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that he will not support Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma to become President of the Senate, in another pointed exchange between the former Rivers governor and the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF).

Wike made the declaration on Monday during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, days after Uzodimma-led APC governors rejected political arrangements they said could undermine the party and its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking on Uzodimma’s political future, Wike questioned the governor’s reported interest in leaving the governorship to contest for the Senate.

“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.

Uzodimma has been at the centre of the disagreement over Wike’s proposed Rainbow Coalition, which the FCT minister has described as a cross-party platform focused on mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

The PGF, under Uzodimma’s leadership, had said APC governors would not support any alliance or political arrangement capable of weakening the party or affecting its candidates in the 2027 elections.

Wike has repeatedly rejected the governors’ concerns, insisting that his political activities and discussions with President Tinubu were not subject to the approval of APC governors.

He had also promised to disclose what he described as the “undertones” behind the opposition to the Rainbow Coalition.

The FCT minister also revisited the controversy over the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State, dismissing claims by supporters of Peter Obi that the Labour Party candidate won the state.

“You can win on social media. You can win there. I’m not interested in social media winning. I’m interested practically in the results that are on ground, who won, who was declared. And that’s all,” Wike said.

He challenged those insisting that Obi won Rivers to produce the official result sheets supporting the claim and pursue the matter through the appropriate legal process.

Wike also questioned the basis for determining a statewide winner without considering results from the state’s polling units and subsequent collation process, noting that Rivers has more than 7,000 polling units.

The dispute over Rivers’ 2023 result has remained a point of contention, with competing claims about polling-unit figures and the result eventually declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Wike, however, maintained that the relevant issue was the result officially declared after the electoral process and challenged Obi’s supporters to provide documentary evidence for their claim.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that he will not support Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma to become President of the Senate, in another pointed exchange between the former Rivers governor and the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF).

Wike made the declaration on Monday during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, days after Uzodimma-led APC governors rejected political arrangements they said could undermine the party and its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking on Uzodimma’s political future, Wike questioned the governor’s reported interest in leaving the governorship to contest for the Senate.

“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.

Uzodimma has been at the centre of the disagreement over Wike’s proposed Rainbow Coalition, which the FCT minister has described as a cross-party platform focused on mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

The PGF, under Uzodimma’s leadership, had said APC governors would not support any alliance or political arrangement capable of weakening the party or affecting its candidates in the 2027 elections.

Wike has repeatedly rejected the governors’ concerns, insisting that his political activities and discussions with President Tinubu were not subject to the approval of APC governors.

He had also promised to disclose what he described as the “undertones” behind the opposition to the Rainbow Coalition.

The FCT minister also revisited the controversy over the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State, dismissing claims by supporters of Peter Obi that the Labour Party candidate won the state.

“You can win on social media. You can win there. I’m not interested in social media winning. I’m interested practically in the results that are on ground, who won, who was declared. And that’s all,” Wike said.

He challenged those insisting that Obi won Rivers to produce the official result sheets supporting the claim and pursue the matter through the appropriate legal process.

Wike also questioned the basis for determining a statewide winner without considering results from the state’s polling units and subsequent collation process, noting that Rivers has more than 7,000 polling units.

The dispute over Rivers’ 2023 result has remained a point of contention, with competing claims about polling-unit figures and the result eventually declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Wike, however, maintained that the relevant issue was the result officially declared after the electoral process and challenged Obi’s supporters to provide documentary evidence for their claim.