Wike calls Obi 'president of social media' at Rivers town hall
- FCT Minister Nyesom Wike said Peter Obi's online popularity does not qualify him to govern Nigeria.
- Wike spoke at a Rainbow Coalition town hall in Bonny, Rivers State, on Saturday.
- He also alleged past Rivers funds were wasted and backed Tinubu for 2027.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has taken a swipe at Peter Obi's presidential ambition, saying the former Anambra governor draws crowds online but is not equipped to run the country.
Wike spoke on Saturday at a town hall with stakeholders of the Rainbow Coalition in Bonny, Rivers State, according to Leadership and The Sun.
He said that if the contest were for an online following, Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), would get his vote, but that he would not back him to govern Nigeria.
Wike also poked fun at Obi for carrying his own bags, saying a former governor who does not hire a personal assistant to do so is too tight-fisted for the highest office. Nigerians, he said, do not want a president of that mould.
The minister challenged Obi's record as Anambra governor, urging voters to weigh it against that of the current governor, Chukwuma Soludo. Leadership should be judged by what a person did in office, he argued, rather than by campaign noise.
Wike, a former Rivers governor, said he chose to stay in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through its internal crisis instead of walking away, and that he came out on top.
Allegations over Rivers projects
Wike alleged that $39 million, which he put at about ₦53 billion, went into a proposed 1,000-bed Justice Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital without the project getting as far as its foundation. He said no block had been laid at the site.
He also questioned the value of the state's monorail, alleging about ₦60 billion was spent with little to show. On a gas turbine sale, he said the deal was valued at $308 million but only $308,000 was left in the relevant account when he took office in May 2015.
These are allegations. The previous Rivers administration has not been convicted of any wrongdoing over the projects.
Wike defended President Bola Tinubu's removal of the petrol subsidy, saying it caused hardship but was a necessary decision previous governments avoided. He said states now get at least ₦15 billion monthly in federal allocations, without giving a breakdown.
What happens next
Wike reaffirmed his support for Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. He said the Rainbow Coalition would unveil its candidates on October 27, naming Kingsley Chinda as its preferred candidate for the Rivers governorship.
He also praised the completion of the Bonny-Bodo Road, saying it ended years of travel by boat and helicopter to the island.
