Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed allegations that President Bola Tinubu's administration is systematically dismantling opposition parties. Speaking in Abuja on Friday during a session with journalists, Wike rejected claims of a political crackdown, citing his own experience under the previous administration as far more severe. He referenced the legal battles he fought as former Rivers State governor, recalling how the Department of State Services (SSS) impounded Justice Leman following a federal high court ruling in his favour against Modu Sheriff. "It's not correct that the current ruling party is killing the opposition, and I take exceptions to that," Wike said.
The controversy stems from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) de-recognising the David Mark-led ADC and the Nafiu Gombe faction after a March 12 appeal court judgment, with related cases still pending at the federal high court. Wike argued that political maneuvering is mutual, stating, "If you are an opposition party, you know the government or the ruling party will always look for a loophole. That is politics." He maintained that the PDP's internal crisis was over and urged former members to return, describing politics as a competitive but non-hostile affair, likening it to football rather than a battle to the death. "The convention has come and gone. People are trooping in. The door is open," he said, adding that those who remain inactive risk irrelevance.
Wike's defence of the current political climate rings hollow given his own history of confrontation with federal agencies. He was once the aggrieved party, now he dismisses others' grievances as mere politics. If the same tactics used against him are now normalised under Tinubu, then the playing field isn't level—it's just differently tilted. For Nigerian politicians, survival increasingly depends not on principle, but on which side of power they land.
