Wike warns of post-presidential election shake-up

…says not behind Uzodimma’s travails

Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has hinted at a possible shake-up within President Bola Tinubu’s campaign structure after the presidential election, warning that divisions within the President’s support base could affect his chances in the 2027 poll.

Wike, who was speaking on Thursday during a media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, denied involvement in the Federal High Court judgment that nullified Hope Uzodimma, Imo State governor’s candidacy for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.

He said the immediate priority was to secure victory for Tinubu, who is of the All Progressives Congress (APC), urging political allies and supporters to manage their differences rather than allow grievances to create cracks within the President’s team.

“If that crack comes, it will be a problem for us. We are talking about Mr President, and we allow a crack to come in. So, let us manage everybody,” he said.

He said political decisions, including the allocation of tickets and the management of competing interests, required careful handling to avoid pushing stakeholders away from the President’s campaign.

“We know that if you don’t give a ticket, there is a likelihood that people may join the ADC. So we say no, let’s leave it. It may not have been too good for us, but let’s manage it. So we don’t want a crack in our team,” Wike said.

The FCT Minister also said he would speak more openly after the presidential election, adding that the current period was not the time to raise grievances capable of distracting from the President’s campaign.

“Today, I’m not talking because we want the presidential election to be over. And the time the presidential election is over, we’re having a conversation. I will speak out,” he said.

Wike maintained that support for the President should not be used to silence legitimate concerns, insisting that political actors should be allowed to make their case after the election.

The former governor of Rivers State stressed that he does not have a hand in Governor Uzodimma’s political travails.

He said he did not institute the legal action against Uzodimma nor participate in the proceedings, stressing that he was not a member of the APC and had no knowledge of the internal political disputes surrounding the party’s senatorial nomination.

Wike said, “I didn’t go to court; I’m not in APC. People are saying that because a day before that judgment, he had openly warned his people there’s no Rainbow Coalition; if I see you, I’ll collect the vehicle. So when the judgment came, they said it was me. How could it have been me?”

He, however, acknowledged his political disagreement with Uzodimma over the governor’s opposition to the proposed Rainbow Coalition, noting that the initiative was aimed at bringing politicians across party lines together to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Wike questioned the Imo State governor’s reservations over the initiative and asked: “What is Hope Uzodimma afraid of in the Rainbow Coalition?”

He argued that political leaders should prioritise securing President Tinubu’s re-election rather than opposing arrangements designed to broaden support for the President ahead of the next general election.