The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has identified three All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors who he accused of opposing his Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Monday during his appearance on Journalists’ Hangout, a programme on TVC, Wike listed the APC state governors as Hope Uzodimma (Imo), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara) and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun).
Wike argued that several APC Governors had no problem with the Rainbow Coalition, which he has presented as a platform to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election across political parties.
He specifically mentioned Adamawa, Edo, Kogi, Lagos and Akwa Ibom, as well as the governor of Ondo State, as governors who, according to him, were not opposed to the coalition.
Wike said, “How can a governor leave his state and go to Abuja to complain that Rainbow Coalition is a distraction? Is that a serious governor?
“Adamawa, Edo, Kogi, Lagos and Akwa-Ibom state governors do not have a problem with the Rainbow Coalition. I saw Ondo Governor there, and I was shocked.”
He then named the three APC governors he said were behind the opposition to his political activities.
“The governors having issues with me are Governor Hope Uzodimma, Governor Abdulrazaq and Governor Dapo Abiodun,” Wike added.
The minister’s remarks came following an escalating disagreement between him and the leadership of the APC Governors Forum over the Rainbow Coalition.
Wike further dismissed concerns by the APC governors that the Rainbow Coalition could undermine the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.
He alleged that the governors’ opposition to his coalition was driven by their political interests, particularly attempts to influence the emergence of the next Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker.
The minister claimed that some of the APC governors were concerned that politicians denied tickets by the ruling party could seek alternative platforms, win their elections and subsequently refuse to support candidates favoured by the governors.
“The governors, in their own wisdom, believe that they should be able now to put senators or House of Reps members who they will dictate to who will become the next Senate President or the Speaker,” he said.
Wike said politicians who lost APC tickets could defect to the Peoples Democratic Party or other opposition platforms, win their elections and subsequently refuse to support the candidate preferred by the governors for Senate President or Speaker.
“The fear now is that, if they run and they win, it means that they’re not going to support him to be the Senate President,” he said.
The FCT minister then directly addressed the reported ambition of Uzodimma to emerge as Senate President, vowing not support him for the position.
He said, “Mr. President will be inaugurated by May 29. This man’s office will expire by January, February 2028.
“Now, he (Uzodimma) wants to leave his office to run for Senate. Now, what does that mean? He wants to run for Senate President. Now, what he does is to say to his colleagues, ‘Look, let us, the governors, be the ones that will produce the senators that will produce members of the House of Representatives.
“And of course, some of the governors are not experienced. They buy in, thinking it’s going to make them powerful, not knowing that he has his own interests, his own agenda, to become Senate President.”
“Life or death, I will never support a character of Hope Uzodimma to be the Senate President of Nigeria. Everybody knows that,” the minister stated.
