How I supported Uzodimma to return as governor in Imo – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that he supported Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma’s re-election in 2023 despite the fact that his political ally, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, contested the governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wike made the disclosure on Tuesday during a media chat in Abuja, while responding to questions about his political relationships and the reported disagreement between him and Uzodimma over the Rainbow Coalition, a political arrangement aimed at mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. Blueprint reports

The minister said his support for Uzodimma during the 2023 governorship election demonstrated that political relationships could go beyond party affiliations.

“When you see Hope Uzodimma, ask him, when he was going for a second term, did I support him or not?” Wike said.

“I supported Uzodimma against the PDP candidate who was my national secretary,” he added.

Anyanwu, who was the PDP’s national secretary at the time, contested against Uzodimma in the November 11, 2023, Imo governorship election.

Uzodimma, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the election and secured a second term in office.

Wike’s remarks come amid growing political tension between him and the Imo governor over the Rainbow Coalition and competing positions on how political parties should organise ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike defends political choices

The FCT minister’s comments appear aimed at defending his record of political alliances across party lines amid questions about his relationship with the PDP and his support for Tinubu.

Wike has maintained that his commitment to Tinubu’s re-election should not be interpreted as an agreement to support APC candidates in every governorship and legislative election.

He has argued that politicians from different parties can work together to support a presidential candidate while retaining the freedom to field candidates for other elective offices.

The minister’s position has become a source of disagreement with APC leaders, particularly governors who insist that the party’s structure and candidates should remain central to its preparations for the 2027 elections.

In September, Wike said the Rainbow Coalition was not affiliated with the APC and maintained that he had never promised that the PDP would refrain from fielding candidates in governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections.

He has also cited the 2023 elections as an example of voters supporting candidates from different parties for presidential and legislative positions.

Disagreement over Rainbow Coalition

Wike’s latest disclosure comes against the backdrop of a reported rift with Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressive Governors Forum, over the Rainbow Coalition.

The coalition is being promoted by Wike and his allies as a platform for mobilising support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition across party lines.

However, APC governors have expressed opposition to political arrangements they believe could undermine the party’s candidates or weaken its electoral structure ahead of the 2027 elections.

Uzodimma, speaking in his capacity as chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, has maintained that APC governors will support Tinubu alongside candidates of their party.

The difference in their positions has fuelled a public disagreement between the two politicians, who previously maintained a working relationship despite their different party affiliations.

Wike has insisted that the Rainbow Coalition will continue its activities despite opposition to the arrangement.

“Rainbow Coalition has come to stay and there is nothing anybody can do about it,” he said.

The minister also stressed his preference for direct and honest political relationships, adding: “I deal with people who are straightforward.”

Wike and Uzodimma’s political history

The relationship between Wike and Uzodimma has attracted renewed attention because of the minister’s claim that he supported the Imo governor’s re-election despite the PDP’s decision to field a candidate against him.

Uzodimma won a second term in November 2023 after defeating opponents, including the PDP’s Anyanwu, in the governorship election.

The governor’s political journey has also been a subject of national debate since January 2020, when the Supreme Court nullified Emeka Ihedioha’s election and declared Uzodimma the duly elected governor.

Uzodimma had finished fourth in the original 2019 governorship election before the Supreme Court ruling altered the outcome.

His second term, which began in January 2024, is scheduled to end in January 2028.

The latest exchange between Wike and Uzodimma highlights the shifting alliances and competing interests shaping political calculations ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly as party leaders seek to balance support for the presidential contest with their ambitions at state and legislative levels.