By Omeiza Ajayi
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has described the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress NDC, Peter Obi, as a stingy man who is unfit to govern Nigeria.
Wike, who spoke at a town hall interactive meeting with stakeholders in Bonny Local Government, Rivers State, mocked the former Anambra State governor’s habit of carrying his own bags.
“As a former governor, you cannot be stingy not to have employed a personal assistant who will carry your bag. You want to show you carry your bag. We don’t want such a stingy person as a president,” he said.
He called Obi a social media presidential contender, arguing that popularity online was no substitute for the experience and capacity required to govern the country.
“Truly speaking, I gave him president of social media. If you were to vote who will be president of social media, I will vote for him. But if it is to govern Nigeria, it is capital no!” Wike said.
The minister questioned Obi’s record as Anambra governor, saying the performance of the incumbent, Chukwuma Soludo, should inform public assessment of the former governor’s administration.
He also took a swipe at politicians who switch parties in the face of internal crises, saying leadership required the ability to confront challenges rather than flee them.
“How will you solve the problem of the country? Did you see when there was a problem in PDP? Did I run? I defeated them,” he said.
Wike expressed doubts about the leadership of the African Democratic Congress ADC presidential ticket and the reliability of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whom he said he had known from their days in the Peoples Democratic Party PDP.
He declared support for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress APC, saying the party offered the platform he would back in the 2027 presidential election.
On the previous Rivers State administration, Wike urged voters to scrutinise the records of politicians seeking higher office instead of relying on campaign declarations.
He alleged that $39 million was spent on a proposed 1,000-bed Justice Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital without the project reaching the foundation stage.
“Thirty-nine million US dollars, 53 billion naira, gone! As I speak to you, there is no foundation, no one block laid,” he said.
He claimed that about N60 billion was spent on the state’s monorail project, and questioned its functionality and the value it had delivered to residents.
On the sale of a gas turbine, Wike alleged that the transaction was worth $308 million, yet only $308,000 remained in the relevant state account when he assumed office in May 2015.
He also recalled a proposal to spend $10 million on fumigating Rivers State to address mosquito bites, questioning the logic of such an exercise in a state sharing boundaries with several others.
Wike announced that the Rainbow Coalition would unveil its candidates on Tuesday, October 27, and named Kingsley Chinda as its choice for the Rivers State governorship race.
He said some of the candidates would contest under the APC, even though the coalition’s membership cuts across party lines.
“Under the Rainbow Coalition in our state today, you see APC, PDP, all of us. No more Rivers of blood, no more shooting, not many people going to die,” Wike said.
The minister urged residents to back candidates he described as experienced and committed to public service, and promised that the concerns raised by Bonny residents would receive attention.
He praised the completion of the Bonny-Bodo Road, saying it had improved access to the island community and reduced the hardship residents previously faced travelling by boat. He said he had told Tinubu that the road was a major achievement for the people of Bonny.
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