Wike urged Christians to be patient with Tinubu and pray for the administration, rather than bother about “people who have lost their chances to put Nigeria right”.
Peter Obi, Rauf Aregbesola, Atiku Abubakar, Aminu Tambuwal at the coalition meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at leaders of the opposition coalition, saying that they were not interested in rescuing Nigerians as they claimed, but in their self-interest.
Wike, who stated this at the thanksgiving service for the completion of projects by the FCT administration on Sunday, said that Nigerians were angry with those who failed to perform while in office.
“How can Nigerians not be angry with you? In 1999, you were at this party. In 2006. In 2014, you moved to another party. In 2019, you came back to another party. Now, in 2025, you have moved to another party? To rescue whom? You want to rescue your stomach; it’s not Nigerians you want to rescue.
“Some of you have sympathy for somebody you don’t know. You say Peter Obi will be President. President where? For eight years, he was governor; he never conducted local government elections. That is what you describe as democracy. Only you were the governor and chairman of the local governments,” he said.
Speaking further, the minister said, “Ask yourself a question. Just ask yourself. I was a Senate President for eight years, for example, and I cannot provide a road to my local government, Otukpo, and I will fly a helicopter to Otukpo — eight years!. It is now, you say you want to rescue Nigeria. Which Nigeria do you want to rescue?
“Somebody was speaker for eight years, governor, eight years, minister, eight years, he didn’t know that Nigerians were angry. It’s just these two years he left office, you’re telling Nigerians that Nigerians are angry.
“Why won’t they be angry. Why won’t they be angry when, in eight years as Minister of Transportation, you borrowed so much money from China, making us highly indebted? You have borrowed the future of Nigerians. You said Nigerians are angry; they are angry with you.
“Here, you were the Attorney General of the Federation for eight years. Every time we are paying for judgment debt. Nigeria is every time in the news about corruption, corruption, corruption, corruption.
“And these are the same people who want to rescue Nigeria. You were the Minister for Interior, yet to get an international passport, you will spend weeks, months, and years before you get your international passport. But look at a young boy, see what he has done? Within hours, you have get your international passport.
Wike urged Christians to be patient with Tinubu and pray for the administration, rather than bother about “people who have lost their chances to put Nigeria right”.
He said, “All I appeal to the church, just be patient and continue to pray for Mr. President, for the administration. Forget about people who have lost their chances to put Nigeria right. They won’t have the chance again.
“They cannot stay out of power. Unfortunately, they have stayed out; they won’t come back.”
The opposition coalition, which adopted the African Democratic Congress as its political party, ahead of the 2027 general elections, has a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi; a for Osun State governor, rauf Aregbesola; a former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai; and a former senate president, David Mark.
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