FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has rejected suggestions that he was behind a court judgment that removed Imo State governor Hope Uzodimma as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo West senatorial district.

What Wike said

Speaking at his monthly media chat in Abuja on Thursday, 5 November 2026, Wike reportedly described claims linking him to the ruling as mischievous, saying he neither filed nor took part in the case. He pointed out that he is not a member of the APC. He said Uzodimma had earlier declared that there was no Rainbow Coalition in Imo State, which Wike called uncivilised, and that it was wrong to credit him with the judgment. He also asked why the governor was afraid of the coalition, saying both men could tell their supporters to vote for President Bola Tinubu. Wike said he owed no apology for his friendship with Okorocha, and that his main focus was the President's re-election.

The court ruling

A Federal High Court in Abuja recently ordered INEC to publish Okorocha's name as the APC candidate for Imo West, after he argued that he won the party's primary. Uzodimma has not said publicly whether he will appeal.

Background

The Rainbow Coalition is a group of PDP and other politicians led by Wike that backs Tinubu's re-election. It has caused friction with some APC governors, including Uzodimma, who see it as a rival structure. Okorocha governed Imo from 2011 to 2019 and has long been a rival of Uzodimma. Former APC chairman Abdullahi Ganduje visited Okorocha to congratulate him after the ruling.

Former Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode has declared that he will mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu's re-election and for Dr Obafemi Hamzat, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos.

What was announced

A statement from the Ambode Support Associates, signed by former Lagos State Emergency Management Agency general manager Adesina Tiamiyu, said the decision followed a closed-door meeting between Ambode and his political allies on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. The group said it would host Hamzat and other APC candidates in Epe, Ambode's home town, next week to show party unity. It said its mobilisation drive would target grassroots communities, market women, artisans and people with disabilities across the state.

Background

Ambode governed Lagos from 2015 to 2019 but was denied a second-term ticket by the APC after falling out with party leaders, and was succeeded by Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Hamzat, the current deputy governor, is the party's candidate to succeed Sanwo-Olu in 2027. Ambode's return to active campaigning for the party is seen as a boost to APC unity in Lagos, where opposition parties are also seeking to make gains.

What happens next

The Epe rally is expected to take place next week, with details to be announced.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has removed the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and voided its decisions, including the nomination of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar as the party's 2027 presidential candidate, according to reports on Thursday, 5 November 2026.

The judgment

Justice Peter Lifu reportedly delivered the judgment in a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former national deputy chairman of the ADC for the North-East. The court ruled against the caretaker committee led by former Senate President David Mark and set aside all decisions it took on behalf of the party, which would include the primary that produced Atiku as candidate. Full details of the court's reasoning and any orders to INEC were still emerging.

Timing

The ruling came less than 24 hours after Atiku formally launched his presidential campaign at a rally in Sokoto, which his campaign said drew a large crowd.

Background

The ADC became the platform of a coalition of opposition figures in 2025, with David Mark as interim national chairman. Its leadership has faced legal challenges from former officials who say they were wrongly pushed aside. Several court cases over party primaries are ongoing across all major parties, and courts have recently sacked candidates in Nasarawa and ordered changes elsewhere.

Atiku responds

In a statement issued from Birnin Kebbi on Thursday through his campaign spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku condemned the ruling and described it as a deliberate attempt to derail his campaign after the large turnout at his Sokoto launch. His campaign pointed to an earlier Federal High Court ruling that had dismissed a similar challenge to the David Mark-led leadership, and said the judgment would be challenged at the Court of Appeal. It said the campaign would continue, moving on to Kebbi State.

What happens next

The ADC and Atiku are widely expected to appeal. Until the appeal is decided, it is not clear how the ruling will affect his candidacy or the party's campaign.

Activist Aisha Yesufu has launched a fundraising drive asking ordinary Nigerians to contribute to Peter Obi's 2027 presidential campaign.

What she said

In a video posted on X on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, Yesufu said Obi cannot do it alone, and that people who want to take back their country must take ownership of the campaign. She argued that the arrangement in which Obi personally funds most campaign activities is no longer sustainable, and urged supporters to give whatever they can afford. She said the citizens' fund is separate from the account of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Obi's party, and promised full transparency in how the money is used.

Background

Yesufu is a co-founder of the Bring Back Our Girls movement and one of Obi's most prominent supporters. Obi, a former Anambra governor, is running with Rabiu Kwankwaso on the NDC ticket. His campaign has presented itself as funded by ordinary citizens in contrast to what it describes as money politics. His convoy was attacked by thugs in Calabar on Wednesday. Other candidates, including President Bola Tinubu of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the ADC, are backed by large party structures and support groups.

Rules on campaign funding

Nigeria's Electoral Act sets limits on how much candidates can spend and how much individuals can donate, and requires parties to account for campaign funds.

How people reacted

Obi's supporters welcomed the appeal and shared it widely, while critics questioned how the fund would be managed and audited.