The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at a former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying he would “continue to contest as President on social media, but not as President of Nigeria.”
Wike spoke on Thursday during the inauguration of newly constructed roads in the Mabushi District of Abuja, following Obi’s recent criticism of the state of public schools in the FCT.
The former Anambra State governor had, during a visit to LEA Primary School, Kapwa, on Wednesday, described the conditions of the school as “a national disgrace” and evidence of Nigeria’s “hollow commitment to education.”
According to PUNCH Online, Obi decried the absence of chairs, toilets and basic facilities in classrooms, blaming the decay on poor leadership and misplaced priorities.
But reacting, Wike accused Obi of playing politics with everything and using emotional public appearances to gain social media sympathy.
“I hear 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. In particular, his name is Mr Peter Obi. It is not everything you must play politics with,” Wike said.
He questioned Obi’s moral right to criticise any government on infrastructure, alleging that the former governor prioritised personal financial interests over the development of Anambra State.
“Let me say this, Peter Obi, you were governor for eight years in Anambra State. If you had finished all the jobs in eight years, nobody would be talking about developing Anambra by now.
“And why did you have problems with your successor?” he stated.
The minister further said he had achieved more in two years as FCT minister than Obi did in eight years as governor.
“Mr Peter Obi, we just came into office two years ago, we have not even served four years. But you served eight good years. Compare two years in office of what we have done in FCT, and compare eight years in office in Anambra, can you really say you love this country? Can you really say you love Ndi Anambra? Certainly not,” he said.
He said the office of the President was not available to a person who could not manage a small party.
“You will continue to contest as President on social media, but not as President of Nigeria. You ran as President under a party; you cannot manage the party.
“Ordinary party, you cannot manage the party to hold the party together, you cannot. It is Nigeria of two hundred and something million people that you want to manage. It’s not available for people like you,” Wike stated.
