Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says he will not support Hope Uzodimma, Governor of Imo State, in his reported bid to become President of the Senate.
Wike made the statement 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 attempting to influence the emergence of lawmakers who would back his ambition to lead the Senate.
The comment comes amid an ongoing disagreement between Wike and the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), which is chaired by Uzodimma.
Last week, the PGF said it would not support any alliance or political arrangement that could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2027 elections.
The statement was seen as a reference to the rainbow coalition, a cross-party alliance associated with Wike that supports Tinubu’s re-election bid.
In January, Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the coalition represented a move away from conventional party politics towards a collective political movement focused on advancing the interests of the state.
Uzodimma, who is seeking a return to the Senate, is reportedly interested in the Senate presidency.
However, the Senate amended its standing rules in May, introducing stricter eligibility requirements for presiding and principal offices.
Under the revised rules, only senators with at least eight years of continuous service in the chamber can contest for the positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate President.
The amendment also changed the process for selecting other senior positions in the Senate.
Order 4 states that nominations for presiding offices must follow the principle of ranking.
The ranking order includes 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 first-time senators where no other eligible candidates are available.
Order 5 further states that a senator cannot contest for a principal office unless they have served at least two consecutive terms immediately before their nomination.
The changes effectively exclude senators elected in 2027 who were not members of both the ninth and 10th Senates from contesting for Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Senate Leader, Chief Whip, Minority Leader and other senior positions.
TheCable quoted insiders as saying the amendment was driven more by political considerations than parliamentary procedure.
Before the amendment, any ranking senator, defined as a lawmaker who had spent at least four years in the National Assembly, could contest for presiding offices.
That provision left the door open for several politicians seeking to return to the Senate in 2027, including Uzodimma, who previously served one term as a senator.
Insiders familiar with the parliamentary manoeuvring told TheCable that the amendment was a “pre-emptive strike against ambitious returnees — particularly Uzodimma”.