Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has launched a stinging critique of opposition political parties, urging them to abandon media stunts and sensationalism and instead focus on presenting verifiable facts to Nigerians while building genuine grassroots structures if they hope to win elections. Speaking during his monthly media parley with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, July 9, 2026, the former Rivers State governor dismissed the growing reliance of opposition parties on media hype and theatrical criticism as a strategy that would ultimately fail to resonate with the electorate.
Wike argued that the opposition's approach to engaging the public has become increasingly detached from the realities of political contestation, insisting that elections are won through hard work, strategic planning, and meaningful engagement with voters at the ward, local government, and state levels. He said it was unrealistic for any party to expect victory in a presidential election without adequate preparation and nationwide structures. "You have not even put your house in order, yet you want to win a presidential election. Do you know what it takes to have structures in all 36 states? Do you know what it takes to campaign across the country? Is it a two-month programme? It's not," he said.
The FCT minister took particular aim at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a party to which he still belongs, warning that it cannot realistically win a presidential election unless it first resolves its internal crisis and rebuilds its political structures across the country. He said the party's internal problems had weakened it and made it difficult to return to winning ways at the presidential level. "I have told you that PDP had a problem. Now, having that problem is not easy. To put yourself back to winning the presidential election is not an easy task," he stated. Wike urged the PDP to focus on winning elections at the state level and rebuilding the party from the grassroots before pursuing the presidency. "What is more paramount to us is to build the party, show what you can do at the state level, get the ones you build and put the pieces together," he added.
Wike also dismissed the growing claim that Nigeria's democracy depends on the participation of a few prominent opposition figures, describing the narrative as misplaced. He said democracy is not about whether Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi contests an election. "The only way people now say there is democracy is if the ADC or NDC participate in the election. Democracy, for us in Nigeria, has now been defined by whether Atiku participates or whether Peter Obi participates. If they don't participate, people say there is no democracy. Democracy is not about only Atiku contesting or only Peter Obi contesting," he said.
The minister also addressed calls by opposition parties for the removal of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations linked to the controversy surrounding the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). Wike dismissed the demands as a desperate political distraction and challenged the opposition's right to interfere in executive appointments. "I know the chief of staff very, very well. He did not. People are saying the chief of staff must be sacked. By whom? The opposition? Why not form a government, and then you can sack whoever you want to sack," he fired back.
Wike maintained that the administration would not succumb to media-driven trials engineered by political rivals who were still reeling from past electoral defeats. He noted that President Bola Tinubu had already displayed transparency by referring the entire PFIPC budget entry case to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for an independent criminal audit. He said there was no basis to suggest that the government could not conduct a credible investigation. He also questioned why the accuser had allegedly fled after making the allegations, insisting that anyone with genuine evidence should present it to security agencies rather than hide from scrutiny. "If the young man knows what he is saying is correct, why run away? How can you make such a statement and then run away? You need to be interrogated," he said.
Drawing from his personal experience, Wike recalled how he had previously been the victim of fabricated allegations designed to tarnish his reputation. He recounted an incident in which an individual falsely claimed that his son was involved in a two-million-dollar land transaction. He said investigators discovered that his son had travelled on a British Airways flight that morning, whereas the alleged transaction was said to have taken place at night, exposing the allegation as false. He further disclosed that some individuals advised him to quietly settle the matter to avoid negative publicity, but he refused. "One of them told me that because of my position, I should settle it. I asked, 'Settle what?' This is cheap blackmail. I will not allow that," he said.
Wike concluded by advising the opposition to focus their energy on resolving their own internal party crises and building a viable platform for the next elections, rather than trying to act as an unelected human resources department for the current administration. His remarks underscore the growing political tension ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle and highlight the deepening divisions between the ruling party and opposition coalitions, which have continued to trade accusations over governance, accountability, and the direction of the country.
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