The former Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Peter Ameh, has criticized the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his recent comments regarding the 2027 elections.
The ex-IPAC chair criticized Wike, stating that it is unacceptable in a democracy for him to insult the electorate with disrespectful language.
Naija News reports that during the inauguration of a project in the FCT, Wike declared that FCT Senator Ireti Kingibe would not be re-elected to the National Assembly in 2027.
Ameh, who also serves as the Publicity Secretary for the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), reminded Wike that governing in Abuja is different from his previous experience in Rivers State.
“I watched an episode where they were commissioning a car park in Mabushi. I saw Wike flagging off a car park. In which world do people flag off car parks?
“It seems like a very elementary level of governance. In that same location, he was using the opportunity to bash a sitting senator of the Federal Republic, and people were applauding him. He made statements that diminished the senator’s personality,” Ameh said in a video obtained by DAILY POST.
“Government is not about self-promotion. Wike boasts about doing roadworks, but many of these roads are already in poor condition.
“Some roads in areas like Nyanya, Karu, Karishi, Kubwa, and Gwagwalada are still not done. Even the ones he completed have issues.
“He collected about ₦1.2 trillion, but there’s no accountability in Nigeria, which is why people don’t know what’s going on. He also collected another ₦98 billion for ongoing projects.
“The Apo-Karshi Road has been incomplete since before his time. There’s no construction happening there now. Yet, he’s criticizing a senator elected by the people, boasting about how by 2027, the senator won’t return,” he added
Highlighting Wike’s inability to understand the sophisticated political environment of Abuja, Ameh stressed that the FCT electorate votes based on performance, not intimidation.
He urged Labour Party leaders to unite and resist Wike’s attempts to control the political landscape using disrespectful tactics.
“Wike forgets that others came before him and performed excellently without using derogatory language against elected representatives. The FCT is a cosmopolitan and metropolitan center, and its people vote based on performance.
“Wike was a governor for eight years and a minister from Rivers State, but he lost his own local government and Rivers State before he padded the result. What makes him think he will win the FCT? People are intelligent and cannot be intimidated the way he tries to intimidate the senator.
“I blame other senators and leaders from the Labour Party for not coming together and speaking in one voice against Wike. They need to hold a press conference and tell him that he cannot control the country and misuse public resources.
“He cannot stand on a stage and insult the electorate with disrespectful language. This is not acceptable in a democracy. Those applauding him for flagging off a car park need to look at how governance works in places like South Africa or Egypt, where ministers don’t behave this way,” he concluded.