The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has mocked the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, describing him as a politician who seeks the presidency only through social media.
Wike made the remark on Thursday during the commissioning of newly constructed roads in the Mabushi District of Abuja. His comments followed Obi’s recent criticism of the FCT Administration for allegedly neglecting public schools in the territory.
The minister accused Obi of hypocrisy, alleging that as governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014, he failed to develop the state but instead deposited its funds in a bank where he was reportedly a major shareholder.
“There is one social media man who calls himself a presidential candidate. He went to one school in FCT and said we didn’t provide toilets for them. Imagine! When he was governor for eight years, did he develop the entire Anambra? Instead, he carried the state’s money and put it in his bank,” Wike said.
He challenged Obi to publicly compare his eight-year record as governor of Anambra with what the FCT Administration had achieved in just two years under his leadership.
“You ran as president under a party and couldn’t manage the party. It’s Nigeria with over 200 million people you want to manage? You can’t hold a small party together, but you want to manage a complex nation. You will continue to contest as president on social media, not as president of Nigeria,” he added.
Wike further questioned Obi’s commitment to national unity, criticizing his public appearances at internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, which he described as politically motivated.
“You cannot be president just because you celebrate birthdays in IDP camps. When you were governor, why didn’t you do your birthday there? Now you want to be president, you’re pretending to love the poor. Enough is enough,” he said.
The minister announced that the FCT Administration would next week showcase the improvements made in public schools across the territory, insisting that governance should not be reduced to propaganda.
Meanwhile, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant, Lere Olayinka, also took a swipe at Obi, accusing him of seeking attention by criticizing the government unnecessarily.
In a statement, Olayinka said Obi should focus on reviving his political relevance rather than “gallivanting for media attention and turning himself into a critic of everything, including the ridiculous.”
