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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, declared over the weekend that he will back only candidates supporting President Bola Tinubu in the upcoming FCT Area Councils election on February 21, regardless of party affiliation, and ensure opponents lose.
According to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike made the pledge at Senator Sandy Onor’s 60th birthday celebration in Abuja, held in honour of the professor’s decades of scholarship, leadership and service.
“I have a duty to support any candidate that supports President Tinubu to win,” Wike said. “It is also my duty to ensure that any candidate who is not supporting Tinubu does not win in the election, and I owe no apology for my stand.”
The minister, unapologetic about his Tinubu loyalty, hailed Onor as a “credible ally, a trustworthy friend and a good brother”—reliable even in tough times. “I will continue to be with you and work with you, because I know even if I am not alive today, you will not abandon my family,” Wike added.
Anthony Eyang, reading the citation, noted that Onor — born February 14, 1966, in Ikom, Cross River State — was shaped by community values, discipline and faith. His path, Eyang said, spanned “the lecture halls of the University of Calabar to the floor of the Nigerian Senate, and onwards to Cross River State politics. This reflects a life devoted to learning, leadership, and the advancement of society.”
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Event chairman, Philip Aduda, described the celebration as a thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness in Onor’s academic and political life.
Former Benue governor Samuel Ortom, standing in for occasion chair Dr Okezie Ikpeazu (former Abia governor and ambassador-designate), described Onor as an “icon”, a “great Nigerian” and a “good man” fit for leadership.
Kanu Agabi, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, praised Onor as “courageous and intelligent”, adding, “I love Senator Sandy Onor because he is not one of those who stigmatise the constitution as a product of the military. He is a courageous and intelligent man.”
Dave Imbua presented a Festschrift honouring Onor as a notable historian, which Ikpeazu unveiled on behalf of Wike and friends, alongside N50 million.
In his remarks, Onor reflected that he had learned in his 60th year “that it was good to be a man of excellence and a man of character,” and that hard work pays — but “everything becomes insignificant if the finger of God is absent.” He thanked family, friends and well-wishers, vowing not to take their support for granted.
