Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has described himself as one of the ‘most abused’ politicians in Nigeria, second only to President Bola Tinubu.

Wike made the remark yesterday at a special thanksgiving service organised by former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche and his family in Ochiba community, Ahoada East local government area of Rivers State.

The former Rivers State governor said he remained steadfast in honouring agreements and reaffirmed his unwavering support for President Tinubu, stressing that his political stance had never shifted.
Emphasising the importance of integrity and consistency in politics, the minister said agreements must be respected and honoured.

“You know me, I believe in agreement. Anything you know you cannot do, don’t say it, don’t even enter into it. From January next year, politics will start. Nobody can use us. So let me say yes and agree later. No, I can’t do that. Whatever you have agreed in the morning, it was agreed in the night. So, don’t worry yourself about who was shouting ‘on your mandate we stand’.

“We have shouted when it mattered most. If we did not shout it then, would they shout now? Would they have shouted now? I have never hidden my position. Nigerians know. And you can attest to it.

We have never wavered in support of Aswaju Bola Tinubu. If you want to know, after Bola Tinubu, the next most abused politician is me.

“Why are they abusing me? Because they know agreement is what? When we have agreed on something, let’s implement it. If you cannot implement it, don’t even come to reach it.

“So for us, we have decided before now, long ago, that we must make sure we continue to support Bola Tinubu. That is the position you took. And that is the position we are going to continue to take. So, on behalf of our team, we want to thank you, our foot soldiers who have stood firm in spite of all provocations,” Wike said.

Wike expressed appreciation to the people of Ahoada East and Ahoada West local government areas for their consistent loyalty over the years.

“This is the first local government we are coming to say thank you for being there for us all through these years.

“You know, like the pastor said today, God detests those who are ungrateful. And so for what you’ve done for us, for standing with us, we say thank you. Thank you, and thank you,” he said.

Reflecting on the last 2023 general elections, Wike commended residents for standing firm despite uncertainties surrounding the outcome of the presidential poll.

“You remember, in 2023, when it was tough, nobody knew what would happen in that election. Somebody was saying that it would be difficult for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to win that election. So many people were not able to vote for Tinubu.

“But, we all met, as leaders here, and you, to say in politics, we must take a stand and defend. That we must take a decision, whether it was good or bad. But we knew at the end of the day, it will be good. But we did it.

“When it was tough, for people to say ‘on your mandate we stand’. We stood firm and said on your mandate we stand. And to the glory of God, we stood. And today, he is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Wike added.

He credited the people of the area with helping to strengthen Tinubu’s mandate in Rivers State.

“You are the ones who made the mandate to be strong as far as Rivers State is concerned,” he said.

Wike also made a veiled reference to the recent defection of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, from the PDP to the APC, suggesting that some political actors only declared support for Tinubu after the election.

“All these people you are now seeing singing ‘on your mandate we stand’, that time, when they were needed most, they couldn’t sing that. They couldn’t come out to say, vote for Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

“Now that you stood and voted for him, and even said, woman, I tell you, all your struggle will not go in vain. So we have come to tell you to remain strong,” he said.

He further alleged that some politicians deliberately attacked him for financial gain, mocking what he described as opportunistic politics.

“One thing you should know about Nigerian politics. You know, there is a universal state every time. How you can make money now for a universal state is like that. You go and say, this enough is enough for Wike. We will deal with Wike, they drop (dish out money). If you don’t say you will deal with Wike, you won’t get him.

“I hear we have about N600 billion somewhere. So, just say we will deal with Wike. The moment you pronounce that word, something will come down,” he said.

Earlier, Hon. Nwuche praised Wike for his developmental contributions to the Ekpeye Kingdom, particularly the elevation of traditional institutions during his tenure as governor.

“For the first time, Ekpeye had seven first-class stools. Before now, we only had one. Governors came and left. None of them agreed to elevate our stools. Only him (Wike) did that for us. So, I’ve seen people who have used power wrongly. They forget that there’s karma. And that’s why I say Nigerians should be careful in choosing leadership.

“We know our leaders very well. Ask us about them. There are many of them who came into leadership by accident. They have no business being there because they have no human feelings. People who find themselves in power should use it to elevate the people and better their lots, not to oppress them, to break their homes and go.

“Nobody who follows Wike can say that he hasn’t been impacted positively. Nobody. That’s why you see, no matter where he goes, we shall go there,” Nwuche said.