Spears News Nigeria
The political cold war between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has erupted into open warfare, with Wike declaring he will never—under any circumstances—support Uzodimma’s reported ambition to become President of the Senate.
Wike made the declaration during a televised appearance on Journalists’ Hangout, a programme on TVC, on Monday, stating unequivocally that his opposition to Uzodimma’s Senate Presidency bid was absolute.
“Live or dead, I will never support Hope Uzodimma to become Senate President of Nigeria,” Wike said .
The FCT Minister also fired a broadside at governors backing Uzodimma, accusing them of lacking the political experience to see through what he described as the Imo governor’s strategy. According to Wike, some of these governors do not realise that Uzodimma is allegedly “playing with their intelligence” in his bid to emerge as Senate President.
The extraordinary public clash between the two influential political figures is not merely a personal quarrel. At its core lies a bitter struggle over the control of the All Progressives Congress (APC) political machinery ahead of the 2027 general elections, and the future leadership of the National Assembly.
The immediate trigger of the crisis is Wike’s proposed “Rainbow Coalition”—a cross-party platform designed to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while allowing politicians to maintain their respective party affiliations .
Uzodimma, as Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), has led the charge against this arrangement. On September 14, the PGF issued a statement rejecting any alliance capable of weakening the APC or creating “divided loyalty,” insisting that its members would only support candidates sponsored by the ruling party at all levels .
Wike fired back, dismissing the governors as “politically lazy” and challenging their political capacity. He made specific references to Uzodimma, questioning the APC’s performance in Imo during the 2023 presidential election .
Reports have circulated for months that Uzodimma, whose second term as Imo governor ends in 2028, is positioning himself for a return to the Senate in 2027—and from there, to mount a bid for the Senate Presidency in the 11th National Assembly .
An APC chieftain, Tajudeen Olesin, alleged that Uzodimma plans to resign as governor, hand over to his deputy, win a senatorial seat, and then contest for Senate President. According to Olesin, Wike is opposed to supporting a South-East candidate for the Senate Presidency and instead wants the incumbent, Godswill Akpabio, to return if Tinubu secures a second term .
Wike’s camp has not denied this position. Speaking on the matter, Wike questioned the logic of Uzodimma’s reported ambition: “You are still a sitting governor whose tenure runs until 2028, yet you’re already contesting for a Senate seat ahead of the 2027 general election. Does that mean you want to be governor and senator at the same time in Imo State? What kind of political drama is this?”
The Senate itself appears to have moved to block Uzodimma’s path. In May 2026, the Senate amended its standing orders to require that any lawmaker seeking the office of Senate President or Deputy Senate President must have served at least two consecutive terms—with one of those terms being the immediate term preceding the nomination .
The implication is stark: only current members of the 10th Senate who secure re-election into the 11th Assembly can qualify to lead the chamber. Uzodimma served in the 6th and 7th Senate, but not the 10th. Even if he wins a Senate seat in 2027, he would walk into a chamber whose leadership door has been sealed shut before his arrival .
Political observers see the amendment as a strategic consolidation of influence around Senate President Akpabio and his allies, effectively freezing Uzodimma out of the race before it begins.
Beyond the 2027 elections, the Wike–Uzodimma feud is also rooted in longer-term political calculations. Analysts suggest that Uzodimma, by taking control of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, is working to position himself as the supreme political commander of the South-East, with an eye on the 2031 power rotation and a potential Vice-Presidential slot .
In that scenario, Uzodimma cannot allow Wike’s non-aligned coalition to dilute APC’s electoral dominance or create parallel power bases in the region .
A Kwara governor’s aide, Mashood Alaka, offered a counter-allegation: that Wike’s Rainbow Coalition is designed to establish a broad political network that could position the FCT minister for a possible presidential bid in 2031 .
“The whole coalition thing is to mislead the APC into believing he is for them. Everybody knows that he has his own ambitions and is trying to get some of the governors to his side in 2027 ahead of 2031, so that he can be well-positioned to contest for the presidency,” Alaka said.
The escalating war of words has drawn intervention from Imo State, where a group under the banner of Imo Lawyers for the Defence of Democracy called on Wike to desist from further public attacks on Uzodimma.
In a statement issued in Owerri, the group’s secretary, Ifeoma Chukwunyere, said the exchanges had become “increasingly personal and persistent,” urging both parties to resolve their differences through democratic engagement .
“We personally feel that the attack by Wike on Governor Uzodimma is too personal,” the group said. “Mr. Minister, Imo State belongs to its people. You are not from Imo, so stay off Imo” .
The lawyers also called on President Tinubu, as the appointing authority of the FCT Minister, to encourage restraint .
The Wike–Uzodimma rift represents one of the most significant internal contradictions within the ruling political establishment as Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections.
On one side stands Wike—a PDP member serving in an APC government, wielding enormous influence in Rivers State and the FCT, and determined to deliver both territories for Tinubu. He has described himself as the “General Commander of the Political Infantry” in Rivers and the FCT, insisting he does not need to join the APC to support the President .
On the other side stands Uzodimma—the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, a close ally of the President, and a man with his own national ambitions that require a unified, governor-backed APC bloc .
The APC Grassroots Governance Organisation has accused Wike of attempting to “isolate Governor Uzodimma and set him against the party,” warning that the minister’s approach could confuse party members and voters .
But as one commentator noted, the problem may not be that Wike has stopped being useful. “Perhaps it is that he remains useful but has refused to stop being Wike” .
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