The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has responded to an allegation by the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, that he is behind a plot to ruin his name.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, on Thursday, Governor Mohammed accused Wike of orchestrating crises against
He claimed that Wike had once vowed to “put fire” in Bauchi and was now leveraging federal agencies and political machinery to undermine his administration.
The Bauchi governor also criticized Wike’s style of governance in Abuja, labeling his spending as questionable and suggesting that the minister had become a focal point for conflicts within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, during a “thank you” visit to Abua-Odual Local Government in Rivers State, Wike dismissed the allegations, saying they were an attempt by Governor Mohammed to shift attention from his own shortcomings.
“I watched what the governor of Bauchi is saying—that all the problems he is having are because of me, just because I said I would ‘put fire’ in his state,” Wike said.
“If you know I have such power, why are you fighting? If I have the power to put fire, what are you fighting? Go and face your problems.
“You came to my state. I said, ‘Be careful, leave my state alone.’ He wanted to impose party leaders in my state, and I said, ‘You too, you will see the crisis.’ Today, he does not even have a party to bring his successor.”
Reacting to the Bauchi governor’s claim that he was behind the alleged EFCC pressure on some of his associates, Wike distanced himself from the anti-graft agency, insisting that law enforcement actions should not be politicized.
“This is what I warned them: if you know you don’t have the strength to fight, why not go and rest? Now the EFCC is chasing them, and he says it is me. What is my business?
“Go and face your problem. I am only fighting you on party leadership; I am not interested in what you spend,” he said.
He also challenged Governor Mohammed to account for his own record as FCT Minister between 2010 and 2015 in Abuja before criticizing the current administration.
“He said I am selling land—but you were a minister of the FCT from 2010 to 2015. Why not tell people what you did in the FCT, the whole land you sold?
“You did the roads, awarded contracts, collected upfront payments, and now I am the one completing all the projects.”
