Former Rivers State Governor and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has described Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), as stingy and unfit to govern Nigeria.
Wike, who spoke at a town hall meeting in Bonny, Rivers State, Wike mocked Obi for carrying his own bags.
“As a former governor, you cannot be stingy not to have employed a personal assistant who will carry your bag. You want to show you carry your bag. We don’t want such a stingy person as a president,” he said.
He called Obi the “president of social media,” arguing that online popularity does not equal governing ability.
“If you were to vote who will be president of social media, I will vote for him. But if it is to govern Nigeria, it is capital no!” he said.
He questioned Obi’s record as Anambra governor, citing incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s performance. Wike also criticised politicians who abandon parties during crises, saying, “Did you see when there was a problem in PDP? Did I run? I defeated them.”
He questioned the ADC presidential ticket and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, while declaring support for President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027.
Wike alleged that the previous Rivers administration spent $39 million (₦53 billion) on a proposed 1,000-bed Justice Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital without laying its foundation.
“Thirty-nine million US dollars, 53 billion naira, gone! As I speak to you, there is no foundation, no one block laid,” he said.
He also questioned the alleged ₦60 billion monorail project, claimed $308 million was involved in a gas turbine sale while only $308,000 remained in the account when he took office in May 2015, and criticised a proposed $10 million mosquito fumigation exercise.
Wike said the Rainbow Coalition would unveil candidates on October 27, naming Kingsley Chinda for the Rivers governorship race. Some candidates would run on the APC platform.
He declared support for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress APC, saying the party offered the platform he would back in the 2027 presidential election.
On the previous Rivers State administration, Wike urged voters to scrutinise the records of politicians seeking higher office instead of relying on campaign declarations.
He alleged that $39 million was spent on a proposed 1,000-bed Justice Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital without the project reaching the foundation stage.
“Thirty-nine million US dollars, 53 billion naira, gone! As I speak to you, there is no foundation, no one block laid,” he said.
He claimed that about N60 billion was spent on the state’s monorail project, and questioned its functionality and the value it had delivered to residents.
On the sale of a gas turbine, Wike alleged that the transaction was worth $308 million, yet only $308,000 remained in the relevant state account when he assumed office in May 2015.
He also recalled a proposal to spend $10 million on fumigating Rivers State to address mosquito bites, questioning the logic of such an exercise in a state sharing boundaries with several others.
Wike announced that the Rainbow Coalition would unveil its candidates on Tuesday, October 27, and named Kingsley Chinda as its choice for the Rivers State governorship race.
He said some of the candidates would contest under the APC, even though the coalition’s membership cuts across party lines.
“Under the Rainbow Coalition in our state today, you see APC, PDP, all of us. No more Rivers of blood, no more shooting, not many people going to die,” Wike said.
