- Wike says his support for Tinubu has always been public
- FCT minister dismisses claims of secret political alliances
- Wike downplays Rivers political tension, urges maturity
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that he is secretly backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting that his political support has always been open, public and consistent.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor, spoke while reacting to comments credited to the incumbent governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, who recently suggested that some politicians were engaging in secret or corner political alliances.
The minister made his position known during an end of year media chat on Monday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that he said there was nothing covert about his support for President Tinubu, stressing that his stance had been clearly stated long before the 2023 general elections.
“I don’t know who is supporting Tinubu that is doing corner-corner. The whole of Nigeria knows that I’m the number one supporter of Tinubu,” Wike said.
He questioned the logic behind claims of secret political moves, noting that he had consistently declared his choices in public.
“What is corner-corner when I have stated openly that this is what I will do?” he asked.
Wike recalled that his open support for Tinubu had attracted criticism and backlash from members of his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
“When the whole PDP accused me that I am working for Tinubu, how could that be corner-corner?” he queried.
“Why most people don’t trust politicians is that people don’t keep to their word. I don’t want to be that politician. Once I say this is what I will do, I will do it,” he said.
The comments followed recent political developments in Rivers State after Governor Fubara formally defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress earlier this month.
Fubara’s defection came after a closed door meeting with President Tinubu in Abuja, a move widely viewed as strategic ahead of future political contests.
During the inauguration of the extension of the dualisation of the Ahoada Omoku Road on December 10, Fubara openly declared his support for the President and unveiled a new praise song in Tinubu’s honour.
Addressing supporters at the event, the governor said, “If you dey support Tinubu, no follow corner. We support Tinubu, we no dey follow corner,” before instructing a praise singer to perform the song.
Wike also addressed reports of tension within Rivers State’s political space, particularly allegations that he had interfered in meetings involving the governor and the State House of Assembly.
“The governor cannot say that I have not brokered meetings between the Speaker and the leadership of the House. He cannot also say that I have not brokered meetings between the elders, which he attended,
There are things that shouldn’t come to national television. We should act like mature people,” he said.
While admitting that disagreements were inevitable in politics, Wike dismissed claims of an outright political war in the state.
“In politics, all can never be well. But that does not mean people are fighting,” he added.
