The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed allegations that he influenced the Federal High Court judgment recognising former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha as the All Progressives Congress candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 elections.
Wike, who described the allegations as mischievous, maintained that he had no involvement in the legal proceedings and was neither a party to the case nor a member of the APC.
He made the clarification during a live media chat on Thursday while responding to questions about the judgment delivered on October 29, which invalidated Governor Hope Uzodimma’s candidacy for the senatorial seat.
“First of all, anybody calling my name is being mischievous. I didn’t go to court. I’m not in APC. I don’t know what the issue is,” he said.
The FCT minister also criticised an alleged warning issued by Uzodimma shortly before the judgment, in which the governor reportedly threatened to confiscate vehicles belonging to individuals promoting the proposed Rainbow Coalition in Imo State.
Describing the reported statement as uncivilised, Wike said, “They were saying that because a day before that judgment was given, he had openly warned people that, ‘No Rainbow Coalition here. If I see… I’ll collect the vehicle for you.’ Very, very uncivilised.”
Addressing further speculation arising from a video of him dancing with Okorocha, Wike explained that the footage was recorded when he hosted the former governor while he was still in office.
Now they showed the video where Rochas and I danced when I hosted him when he was governor. So that was that dance,” Wike said.
The controversy stems from a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise Okorocha as the APC candidate for Imo West in the 2027 general election.
In his ruling, Justice Obiora Egwuatu held that Okorocha emerged victorious in the party’s senatorial primary held on May 18, 2026, and ordered INEC to substitute Uzodimma’s name with that of the former governor.
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The court reached the decision following a lawsuit filed by Okorocha, who challenged INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the primary election winner. It ruled that the evidence presented established that Okorocha obtained the highest number of valid votes.
However, the judgment has faced opposition from the Imo State chapter of the APC, while Uzodimma has indicated his intention to challenge the decision on appeal.
Political tensions between Wike and Uzodimma over the proposed Rainbow Coalition have also contributed to the speculation surrounding the minister’s alleged connection to the ruling.
The coalition seeks to unite politicians from different political parties to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 without requiring them to leave their respective parties or support APC candidates in other elections.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, has repeatedly maintained that PDP members can support Tinubu in the presidential contest while retaining their allegiance to the opposition party in governorship and legislative elections.
He has argued that backing the President does not prevent the PDP from presenting candidates for other elective positions.
Similarly, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on October 29, Okorocha endorsed Wike’s Rainbow Coalition proposal and disclosed plans to establish a comparable political alliance in Imo State.
The former governor said he would bring together PDP members and politicians from other groups to support Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
Reiterating his position during Thursday’s media chat, Wike argued that political groups do not have to adopt identical strategies or support the same candidates across all levels of an election.
He maintained that securing victory for Tinubu in the presidential election should remain the immediate priority for those backing the President.
“In any case, we are supporting Mr President, for Christ’s sake. Your business is to make sure, first things is, Mr President wins the election. As it is today, anybody who talks about the priority… should be that Mr President wins the election. That’s my priority,” he said.