Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, questioning his capacity and leadership qualities to govern Nigeria.
Wike, who spoke on Thursday during the inauguration of two new roads — ILS11 (Esther Bali Street) and MAR24 (Kez Udezue Street) — in Mabushi, Abuja, accused Obi of being more active on social media than in real governance.
“He will continue to contest as president on social media but not as the nation’s president,” Wike said.
The minister criticised Obi’s constant attacks on the government, alleging that the former Anambra State governor lacks the integrity to lecture others on governance.
“You ran as president on the platform of a party, and you cannot manage the party — ordinary party. You cannot manage to hold a party together; is it Nigeria of over 200 million people that you want to manage?” Wike queried.
“Ordinary party of how many people? Crisis. You can’t hold them, but you want to manage a complex nation like Nigeria. It is not available for people like you. You can know a good dancer from the first step.”
Wike further accused Obi of hypocrisy, saying his public image of compassion contradicts his record in Anambra State.
“Mr Peter Obi, we just came into office two years ago. We have not even stayed four years, but you stayed eight good years. Compare two years in office of what we have done in FCT with your eight years in office in Anambra. Can you really say you love this country? Can you really say you love Anambra? Certainly not. If I were you, I would be quiet. Enough is enough.”
The minister also mocked Obi’s habit of celebrating his birthday at internally displaced persons’ (IDP) camps, describing it as a publicity stunt.
“You cannot be President of Nigeria only when you go to one IDP camp for a birthday party. Doing your birthday party in an IDP camp does not mean you love Nigeria or want to do anything for Nigeria,” he said.
“When you were a governor, why didn’t you do your birthday party in an IDP camp? It is now you want to be president that you remember the less privileged. Who are you deceiving?”
Wike alleged that Obi prioritised personal interests over public development during his eight-year tenure as governor.
“Some people, because of politics, castigate the government. For example, I heard one of the social media presidential candidates went to one of the local authority area schools and was saying that the government has abandoned public schools — his name is Mr Peter Obi,” Wike stated.
“It is not everything you must play politics with. Peter Obi, you were governor for eight years in Anambra State. If you had finished all the jobs, nobody would be talking about developing Anambra by now.”
The minister’s remarks have reignited political debates between supporters of the ruling party and the Labour Party, highlighting ongoing tensions ahead of future elections.
