Wike denies role in Okorocha judgment, asks why Uzodimma fears Rainbow Coalition

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.
- Wike says he had no role in the Imo West ruling.
- He asked why Uzodimma fears the Rainbow Coalition.
- He says Okorocha is his friend.


