Former Southeast Spokesman to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has attributed the growing confrontation between Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and some APC governors to what he described as the minister’s long history of political conflicts and “tactical disruption.”

Onoh stated this in a statement made available to journalists in Lagos while reacting to Wike’s recent media chat, during which the FCT minister criticised some APC governors.

According to Onoh, Wike’s political career, from his time as chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State to his current position in the Federal Government, has been characterised by political rivalries and the use of political structures to weaken opponents.

He said Wike’s appointment as Chief of Staff to former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi further exposed his aggressive political style, alleging that he was used to consolidate the administration’s political structure and manage internal opposition within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Onoh also described Wike as a key political figure during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, particularly during the political crisis between Jonathan and Amaechi.

He alleged that Wike, who served as Minister of State for Education and later Acting Minister of Education, was deployed by the Jonathan administration in the political battle against Amaechi ahead of the 2015 general elections.

According to him, Wike’s experience during the 2022 PDP presidential primary also demonstrated the limitations of his political influence beyond Rivers State.

Onoh said Wike, despite controlling significant structures within the PDP at the time, lost the presidential ticket to Atiku Abubakar, arguing that the outcome showed that his political machinery could not automatically translate into nationwide support.

On the 2023 election, Onoh questioned Wike’s subsequent advocacy for Southern political interests, recalling that the FCT minister had contested the PDP presidential primary against Atiku before becoming a prominent member of the G5 Governors.

He said the G5 bloc, which opposed Atiku’s presidential campaign, ultimately contributed to weakening the PDP in the South-South region.

“While our then Tinubu presidential campaign astutely utilised Wike’s internal grievances to fracture the PDP’s traditional voting stronghold in the South-South and suppress the opposition’s numbers,” Onoh said.

He added that he had personally supported the idea of bringing Wike into Tinubu’s campaign.

“I was one of the few PDP former members in the Tinubu presidential campaign that suggested bringing Wike into our campaign,” he stated.

Onoh further criticised Wike’s comments about the failure of some South-East governors to deliver their states to Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

He argued that the region’s voting pattern was influenced by the strong support for Peter Obi, who contested the election on the Labour Party platform and secured substantial votes across the South-East.

According to Onoh, comparing the South-East’s electoral dynamics with Rivers State was politically misleading because Obi’s support in the South-East was driven by a strong regional movement.

The former presidential spokesman also raised concerns over Wike’s controversial actions and demolition policies in Abuja.

He argued that the political and administrative environment of the FCT was different from that of Rivers State, noting that Abuja’s status as the nation’s capital meant that government actions were subject to greater national and international scrutiny.

On the ongoing disagreement between Wike and some APC governors, Onoh said the minister’s history of political confrontation was responsible for the current tension.

He claimed that Wike’s political strategy had consistently involved building alliances and using political structures to challenge established power blocs.

Onoh also recalled Wike’s political dispute with his successor as Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, describing the conflict as another example of what he called the minister’s confrontational approach to politics.

He alleged that Wike’s reported threats to “put fire” in states controlled by governors opposed to him were part of the same political pattern.

Onoh further warned President Tinubu about Wike’s reported “Rainbow Coalition,” arguing that the emergence of a parallel political structure could create tensions within the ruling APC.

“The presidency is fast approaching a definitive crossroads,” Onoh stated.

“No administration can successfully govern or secure a national mandate by alienating the formal party executives and governors who command the legal machinery of our ruling party.”

Onoh argued that the Presidency would eventually have to address what he described as the tension between the APC’s institutional structures and Wike’s independent political activities.

He maintained that Wike’s political history demonstrated a pattern of alliances followed by confrontation with former political allies and benefactors.

“Nyesom Wike’s political history shows that he is a master of tactical disruption, but always within a framework where his aggressive energy serves the macro-designs of higher political office holders,” Onoh said.

“As he confronts our progressive governors across party lines today, we must look past the immediate noise and recognise a deeper truth: Wike remains a political instrument whose ultimate utility is conflict, and whose historical legacy is the systematic demolition of the very political houses that shelter him.”

Signed

Denge Josef Onoh
Former Southeast Spokesman to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu