Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied having any hand in the Federal High Court judgment that declared former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election.
Wike, who dismissed insinuations that he influenced the ruling, said he had no connection with the case and was neither a party to the suit nor a member of the APC.
He made the clarification on Thursday during a live media interaction, where he was questioned about allegations that he was behind the October 29 judgment which displaced Governor Hope Uzodimma as the party's candidate.
“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,” he said.
The FCT minister also took a swipe at Uzodimma over a reported threat to seize the vehicles of individuals campaigning for the proposed Rainbow Coalition in Imo State.
Wike described the alleged warning as uncivilised, particularly because it was reportedly issued shortly before the court delivered its judgment.
“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,” he stated.
Addressing further speculation arising from a video of him dancing with Okorocha, Wike said the footage had been taken during a social engagement when he hosted the former governor while he was still in office.
“Now they showed the video where Rochas and I danced when I hosted him when he was governor. So that was that dance,” he added.
The political disagreement comes against the backdrop of a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Okorocha as the APC candidate for the Imo West senatorial seat.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in his judgment, held that Okorocha won the party's primary election conducted on May 18, 2026, and directed INEC to substitute his name for that of Uzodimma.
The court reached the decision after considering a suit instituted by Okorocha, who challenged the electoral commission's recognition of Uzodimma as the winner of the primary.
It held that the evidence before it showed that the former governor secured the majority of lawful votes cast in the exercise.
The judgment has generated fresh political tension in Imo APC, with the state chapter of the party disputing the decision and Uzodimma indicating that he would challenge it on appeal.
Wike's name was drawn into the controversy largely because of his disagreement with Uzodimma over the Rainbow Coalition, a political initiative intended to rally support for President Bola Tinubu's second-term ambition ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The arrangement, as explained by Wike, would allow politicians to remain in their respective parties while supporting Tinubu for president, without necessarily backing APC candidates in governorship, senatorial and other legislative elections.
The minister has maintained that PDP members are free to mobilise votes for Tinubu at the presidential level while retaining their party affiliations and supporting PDP candidates in other contests.
The coalition proposal received further attention when Okorocha, during an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today on October 29, expressed support for the initiative and announced plans to establish a similar arrangement in Imo State.
The former governor said he would work towards bringing PDP members and politicians from other political platforms together to support Tinubu's re-election.
Reaffirming his position on Thursday, Wike argued that political cooperation did not require politicians to surrender their individual interests or adopt identical positions in every election.
He said the overriding objective of the coalition was to secure victory for Tinubu in 2027.
“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,” he said.
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