A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, has urged President Bola Tinubu not to promote the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Reacting to Wike’s recent criticisms of him on Politics Today, Momodu asked Tinubu to set aside any anticipated political benefits in 2027 and deal with Wike appropriately.
“My appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is this: regardless of what you hope to gain from Wike in 2027, he is not the kind of character you should promote. He is not the type of young man who should be allowed to hijack our common patrimony,” Momodu said.
He argued that political power and the privileges of public office have fundamentally changed Wike over time.
“When a man who was once a nobody gains power, he begins to change—gradually but surely,” he remarked.
According to Momodu, Wike has always shown deference only to those who wielded power over him. “The oppressed man respects only one person—the oppressor. Wike used to respect only one man: Rotimi Amaechi. Amaechi has been my friend since his days as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
He added that Wike’s transformation began when he became a local government chairman in Rivers State. “In Nigeria, power is often followed by money—and that, too, can be demonic if poorly handled.”
Momodu traced their past friendship to 2022, when Wike, then Governor of Rivers State, invited him for media coverage of some state projects. Wike served as governor from May 2015 to May 2023 and was appointed FCT Minister in August 2023.
He claimed Wike benefited from his media expertise. “I branded him, worked on his image and reputation, but the relationship eventually collapsed beyond repair.”
Their friendship reportedly soured during the build-up to the 2023 PDP presidential primaries, where both men lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.