Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said he will not support Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma’s reported ambition to become President of the Senate.
Wike made the declaration on Monday while appearing on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, amid the growing disagreement between him and the Progressive Governors Forum, which is chaired by Uzodimma.
“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.
The FCT minister also alleged that Uzodimma was attempting to influence the emergence of lawmakers who could eventually back his bid for the Senate presidency.
The latest exchange comes against the backdrop of a widening dispute over Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform associated with the minister and focused on supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Last week, the Progressive Governors Forum said it would not support any alliance or political arrangement that could undermine Tinubu’s re-election or candidates contesting under the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 elections.
Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, said in January that the coalition represented a move away from conventional party politics towards a broader political movement focused on advancing the interests of the state.
Meanwhile, Uzodimma is reportedly seeking a return to the Senate after completing his tenure as Imo governor and is believed to be interested in the Senate presidency.
His reported ambition has also been affected by changes to the Senate’s standing rules.
In May, the upper chamber amended its rules to restrict eligibility for presiding and principal positions.
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Under the revised provisions, a senator seeking the offices of Senate president or deputy Senate president must have at least eight years of continuous service in the chamber.
The amended Order 4 further requires nominations for presiding positions to follow the principle of ranking.
The order recognises former Senate presidents, former deputy Senate presidents, former principal officers, senators who have served at least one term, former members of the House of Representatives and, where necessary, first-time senators.
Order 5 adds another condition, providing that a senator must have served two consecutive terms immediately before nomination to qualify for a principal office.
The changes effectively exclude lawmakers entering the 11th Senate in 2027 who were not members of both the ninth and 10th Senates from seeking positions such as Senate president, deputy Senate president, Senate leader, chief whip and minority leader.
Before the amendment, ranking senators were generally those who had spent at least four years in the National Assembly and could contest for presiding positions.
The previous provision had left room for politicians planning to return to the Senate in 2027, including Uzodimma, who had previously served as a senator.
Sources familiar with the political calculations surrounding the amendment told Journalists that the changes were viewed as a “pre-emptive strike against ambitious returnees — particularly Uzodinma”.