THE crisis between the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has degenerated, with Wike accusing the governor of lacking the capacity to lead....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤
Mohammed had described Wike – a member of Mohammed’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) currently serving as a minister in the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) – as a politician with double loyalty. He said such a character was shameless and set a dangerous precedent in Nigerian politics.
Mohammed said this in a statement signed by his special adviser on media and publicity, Mukhtar Gidado.
“Chief Wike’s ascendancy in politics is a testament to the opportunities provided by the PDP, yet, he now gleefully undermines the very foundation that nurtured him. It is disheartening that a man who owes so much to a party that stood by him in his political journey has chosen to be a willing tool in its denigration.
“Unlike Wike, who thrives on drama and divisiveness, Sen. Bala Mohammed has always understood that politics is not a game of self-serving theatrics but a platform to serve the public good. Wike’s erratic behaviour and opportunistic alliances expose him as an unreliable and fair-weather friend—traits that alienate even those who once stood by him.”
He said questioning his opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s tax reform bills was baseless and hypocritical.
“While Wike accuses others of insincerity, he has seamlessly transitioned from being a self-proclaimed PDP stalwart to an ardent supporter of the APC government.
“He now advocates for the reelection of the same APC administration in 2027, all while continuing to claim membership in the PDP. This chameleonic behaviour raises serious questions about Wike’s credibility and moral compass,” Mohammed had said.
The statement was in reaction to Wike’s recent media chat where he criticised Mohammed’s opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s tax reform bills.
Responding to Mohammed in a statement on Friday, January 24, through his senior special assistant on public communications and social media, Lere Olayinka, Wike said, “It is funny that a known fair-weather politician like Bala Mohammed was the one calling someone else a transactional politician.”
The FCT minister said Mohammed, who is the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, dumped his political godfather and former governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, in 2007 and, as a member of the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), also dumped former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2010 for a ministerial slot under the PDP government of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“First, Governor Bala Mohammed is holding the position of chairman of the PDP Governors Forum out of political greed, because by convention and practice, the position should be held by one of the PDP governors in the South. The reason was that the immediate past chairman of the forum was from the North, the same as the PDP national chairman.
“Secondly, despite usurping the position of the PDP Governors Forum because of his rapacious nature, Bala Mohammed has demonstrated a lack of capacity to lead the PDP, the reason the party is how it is today,” Wike added.
According to the minister, rather than taking responsibility for leadership and acting the same, Mohammad opted to divide the PDP’s national working committee (NWC) by relating with a faction while neglecting the other.
“For his ineptitude and lack of capacity to lead, Bala Mohammed has been blaming chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike’s appointment as FCT Minister.”
He pointed out that between 2009 and 2003, former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed members of opposition parties to his government, despite the PDP winning the presidency.
Wike also criticised Mohammed’s political history, saying he became a minister in 2010 as a member of the defunct ANPP and later defected to the PDP, demonstrating his fair-weather politics.
The ICIR reported that President Bola Tinubu appointed Wike on August 16, 2023, nearly three months after assuming office.
Wike is the only publicly known card-carrying PDP cabinet member in the APC government. ...CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤
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