Wike mocks Obi as ‘anywhere food is ready politician’, says Atiku won’t get 25% across South

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken a fresh swipe at former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, describing him as an ‘anywhere food is ready politician’ and accusing him of avoiding political battles whenever the going gets tough.

Wike also dismissed the presidential ambition of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, declaring that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate would not secure 25 per cent of the votes in any of the South-South, South-East and South-West geopolitical zones.

The minister spoke on Tuesday during an engagement with youth stakeholders in the FCT as part of efforts to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in the January presidential election.

Taking aim at Obi, the minister mocked his political movements across parties, alleging that the former Labour Party presidential candidate had repeatedly abandoned platforms whenever he encountered internal disagreements.

‘Obi is not going anywhere. Don’t deceive yourself. If he likes, let him enter the motorcycle and carry everybody at the back; he is not going anywhere,’ Wike said.

He also criticised Obi’s visits to internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camps, alleging that the former governor was using humanitarian engagements for political purposes.

‘He goes to IDP camps to do birthdays. When he was governor, did he do that? No. Very soon, they will start going along the trees, buying and chewing corn,’ he said.

Describing Obi as unwilling to withstand political pressure, Wike said: ‘He prefers anywhere Mama Put is ready for politics. He doesn’t want to struggle. Small fight, he ran away from the PDP. He did the same in the Labour Party, and now he is in NDC.

‘But, as for me, I am not afraid of fighting. They have now run away from the PDP, and I am still in the party.’

On Atiku, Wike questioned the former vice-president’s electoral prospects in the southern part of the country.

‘Atiku won’t get 25 per cent in South-South, South-East and South-West. Where will he get it?’ he asked.

He urged the youths to move beyond endorsing Tinubu and actively mobilise voters across their communities and associations to support the President.

‘Please, I beg of you, not to just come out to vote, not to just endorse this President here, mobilise all your colleagues, even those who are not part of your association, reach out to them, and get everybody to come out,’ he said.

Wike, who stressed that his support for Tinubu was not driven by membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said Nigerians did not have to belong to the same political party as the President to contribute to national development.

‘I am not a member of the All Progressives Congress. You don’t need to be an APC member or a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member for you to contribute to the development of your country. All you need to do is to work according to the vision of the person who has appointed you,’ he said.

He cautioned Nigerians against entrusting their future to what he described as political gamblers.

‘Let’s not put our destiny in the hands of political gamblers who have been gambling for over 22 years,’ he added.

The minister also challenged the youths to compare the FCT’s record on youth and women’s development under previous administrations with the initiatives introduced by the Tinubu administration.

He recalled that Atiku served as vice-president between 1999 and 2007, arguing that no dedicated youth or women’s secretariats were established in the FCT during that period.

‘Atiku Abubakar was vice-president from 1999 to 2007. Is it not correct? Correct. Was there any establishment of a youth secretariat? No. Was there any establishment of a women’s secretariat? No. From 1976 to 2023, nobody cared,’ Wike said.

According to him, Tinubu directed the establishment of the two secretariats within a year of assuming office.

‘Go and make sure there is a youth secretary. Go and make sure there’s a woman secretary,’ he quoted the President as directing.

Wike urged the youths to look beyond political rhetoric and campaign theatrics, insisting that governance should be judged by tangible achievements.

‘Leave all these rhetorics; leave all this drama. These are cosmetic. Let us face the reality on the ground. That is what matters,’ he said.