By Jamiu Yusuf
ABUJA: Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has launched a blistering attack on the former Anambra State governor and the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, dismissing his aspirations as nothing more than a “social media presidency” and questioning his capacity to govern a complex nation like Nigeria.
Speaking Thursday at the commissioning of two newly constructed roads—IL S11 (Esther Bali Street) and MAR 24 (Kez Udezue Street)—in the Mabushi District of Abuja, Wike tore into Obi’s record as a former governor of Anambra State, insisting that his performance in office disqualified him from lecturing others about governance.
“Ordinary party, you could not manage. A political party of a few people was already in crisis under you, yet you want to manage Nigeria with over 200 million people? It is not possible. You will continue to contest elections only on social media, but never as President of Nigeria,” Wike declared.
The former Rivers State governor accused Obi of hypocrisy, arguing that his public gestures—such as celebrating birthdays in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps—were staged for political gain.
“Doing your birthday at an IDP camp does not prove you love Nigeria. If you cared, why didn’t you do that when you were governor for eight years? Enough of this deceit,” he fumed.
Wike further alleged that Obi mismanaged Anambra’s development priorities, preferring to stash state funds in banks rather than channel them into infrastructure and public services.
“Instead of developing Anambra, you put the money in banks where you earned interest, while the state suffered,” Wike charged.
He contrasted Obi’s alleged failures with what he described as the rapid interventions of the FCT Administration under his watch. Narrating how a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Damian Dodo, drew his attention to the poor state of Kez Udezue Street, Wike said government moved swiftly to fix the road within days—evidence, he argued, of a “responsive government” compared to Obi’s “propaganda-driven politics.”
Turning from politics to governance, Wike praised citizens who constructively engage government, saying Dodo’s intervention exemplified responsible citizenship.
“Good citizens call government’s attention to problems, they don’t just run to social media to castigate for cheap popularity,” he noted.
FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, in her remarks, lauded President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and commended Wike for driving the Renewed Hope Agenda in the capital city.
