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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied any involvement in the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the nomination of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in favor of former governor Rochas Okorocha ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike described suggestions attempting to link him to the judicial outcome as politically mischievous, emphasizing that he was neither a party to the suit nor a member of the ruling APC.
Speaking during a live media chat on Thursday, the minister responded to allegations claiming he engineered the October 29 Federal High Court ruling in Abuja.
“First of all, anybody calling my name is being mischievous. I didn’t go to court. I’m not in APC. I don’t know what the issue is,” Wike stated.
The FCT minister also addressed comments made by Governor Uzodimma a day prior to the court verdict, where the governor reportedly threatened to impound vehicles belonging to individuals promoting a multi-party “Rainbow Coalition” in Imo State.
Wike criticized the governor’s stern warning, describing such rhetoric as uncalled for.
“They were saying that because a day before that judgment was given, he had openly warned people that, ‘No Rainbow Coalition here. If I see… I’ll collect the vehicle for you.’ Very, very uncivilised,” Wike noted.
He further clarified a circulating video showing him dancing alongside Okorocha, explaining that the video was archived footage recorded during an official visit when Okorocha served as governor of Imo State.
“Now they showed the video where Rochas and I danced when I hosted him when he was governor. So that was that dance,” Wike clarified.
The controversy stems from an October 29 ruling by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Okorocha as the authentic APC flagbearer for Imo West in 2027.
Justice Egwuatu held that evidence presented before the court confirmed Okorocha won the party’s senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026, ordering INEC to substitute Uzodimma’s name with that of the former governor on its official portal.
The ruling followed a lawsuit instituted by Okorocha challenging INEC’s initial recognition of Uzodimma. The Imo State executive committee of the APC has since rejected the court decision, while Governor Uzodimma indicated plans to file an appeal.
Speculation connecting Wike to the intra-party dispute was sparked by ongoing political friction between the FCT minister and Uzodimma over the proposed “Rainbow Coalition”—a political cross-party alliance designed to mobilize support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid while allowing opposition members to retain their respective party structures for local contests.
Under Wike’s proposed model, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members could campaign for President Tinubu at the top of the ballot while fielding candidate slates for governorship, state assembly, and National Assembly seats.
Okorocha had previously backed Wike’s proposal during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on October 29, expressing his intention to build a similar cross-party framework across Imo State to support the President’s second-term bid.
Defending the strategic approach during Thursday’s media chat, Wike maintained that political allies do not need to align on every down-ballot contest to share a unified presidential objective.
“In any case, we are supporting Mr President, for Christ’s sake. Your business is to make sure, first things is, Mr President wins the election. As it is today, anybody who talks about the priority… should be that Mr President wins the election. That’s my priority,” Wike concluded.
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