All Progressives Chieftain, Tajudeen Olesin, has said the personal ambitions, especially by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma and Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, were responsible for the face-off with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
NEWSNGR learnt that in Kwara, some aggrieved APC leaders, including Olesin and some other members of The Otoge Progressives, have declared support for Wike’s Rainbow Coalition.
In an interview with Punch, Olesin claimed that Uzodinma was planning to become the Senate President in 2027, while Wike was supporting the return of the current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
According to him, Wike has vowed not to support any candidate from the Southeast if Bola Tinubu is returning as President.
He said, “What is happening is that Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, wants to become the Senate President in 2027, whereas his governorship will finish by 2028. He plans to resign and give the governorship seat to his deputy, become a senator and contest for the position of Senate President.
“But Wike said he couldn’t support somebody from the South-East. If Asiwaju is coming back as the President, let the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, come back as well. That is why Uzodinma and the Kwara State Governor are fighting Wike.”
However, Special Adviser on Party Affairs to the Kwara governor, Mashood Alaka, alleged that Wike’s Rainbow Coalition was aimed at building a political structure that could position him for the 2031 presidential race.
Alaka said Wike was using the coalition and his support for Tinubu’s re-election to build alliances with politicians across party lines, particularly governors, ahead of the next presidential cycle.
He also questioned Wike’s rationale for supporting Tinubu for the presidency while backing opposition candidates for the National Assembly.
Alaka argued that Wike should either remain in the PDP and operate as a member of the opposition party or formally join the APC if he intended to work within its political structure.
According to him, the APC was capable of securing Tinubu’s re-election without Wike’s coalition.
He said, “What Wike said to the APC governors, especially Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Governor Hope Uzodinma, is out of order. He is a former governor and he knows how things work.
“The whole coalition thing is to mislead the APC into believing he is for them. Everybody knows that he has his own ambitions and is trying to get some of the governors to his side in 2027 ahead of 2031, so that he can be well-positioned to contest for the presidency.
“If you want to stay in the PDP, stay in the PDP. If you want to work with the APC, work with the APC.
“If truly he is supporting Mr President, he shouldn’t be fielding candidates for the National Assembly. If Mr President wins and his party is in the minority at the National Assembly, it is going to be an issue at the end of the day.”
