Wike calls Obi 'stingy' and unfit for presidency at Rivers town hall

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has said Peter Obi lacks what it takes to be president, mocking the former Anambra governor for carrying his own bags and dismissing his large online following as no proof of leadership.

Wike spoke on Saturday at a town hall with stakeholders of the Rainbow Coalition in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he also urged residents to back President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027.

According to Wike, a man who once governed a state should have a personal assistant to carry his belongings. He said Nigerians do not want a president with that kind of reputation for frugality. He also said that if the contest were for "president of social media" he would vote for Obi, but not for the job of running Nigeria.

Obi is named in the reports as the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). The sources did not say whether he has responded to Wike's remarks.

Anambra record and party loyalty

Wike asked voters to weigh Obi's time in Anambra against the performance of the current governor, Chukwuma Soludo. He also criticised politicians who leave their parties when trouble starts, saying he stayed in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and fought his battles there rather than walking away.

The minister said he had doubts about the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket and about former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whom he said he has known since their days together in the PDP.

He restated his support for Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the ruling party is the platform he will back in the presidential race.

Allegations on Rivers projects

Wike also made claims about how the previous Rivers State administration handled public money. He 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 past the foundation stage.

He questioned what residents got from about ₦60 billion spent on the state's monorail. On a gas turbine sale, he alleged the deal was worth $308 million but that only $308,000 was left in the state account when he took office in May 2015. He also recalled a proposed $10 million for fumigating the state against mosquitoes.

The figures were Wike's own account at the meeting. No independent verification was provided, and the officials or parties concerned had not responded in the reports.

On the economy, Wike defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, saying it was a hard choice past governments avoided. He acknowledged the hardship from higher fuel prices and living costs but said states now get more money, claiming at least ₦15 billion monthly in federal allocations, without giving a breakdown.

He praised the completed Bonny-Bodo Road, saying it ended years of travel by boat and helicopter to the island.

Wike said the Rainbow Coalition will unveil its candidates on Tuesday, 27 October, and named Kingsley Chinda as its choice for the Rivers governorship race. Some candidates will run on the APC platform, he said.

What happens next: The coalition's candidate list is due on Tuesday, and the 2027 campaign is already taking shape around Tinubu's record and the opposition's challenge.