Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has retaliated against Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State, for remarks in which the governor accused the minister of being responsible for the political unrest in his state.
According to sources, Bala accused Wike of inciting crises against him during a speech on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday. He claimed that the FCT minister had previously promised to “put fire” in Bauchi and was now using political machinery and federal agencies to undermine his government.
The governor of Bauchi also criticised Wike’s leadership style in Abuja, calling his spending habits dubious and implying that the minister had turned into a focal point for disputes inside the Peoples Democratic Party.
“I watched what the Bauchi governor is saying, that all the problems he’s having, that I’m the one because I said I would put fire in his state. So if I have such power, why are you fighting? If I have such power to put fire, why are you fighting?” Wike said.
The former governor of Rivers State maintained that the difficulties faced by the governor of Bauchi were unrelated to him, claiming that Bala was dealing with the fallout from his own acts within the Bauchi PDP.
“Go and face your problem. You came to my state, I said, ‘Be careful, leave my state alone.’ You want to impose a party leader in my state. Today, he doesn’t have a party to bring his successor,” he stated.
Wike emphasised that the current chaos in Bauchi was a result of some PDP leaders’ disregard for his advise, recalling how he had cautioned them against overreaching in areas they could not manage.
In response to Bala’s accusation that he was behind the purported pressure on some of his associates by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, The minister distanced himself from the anti-graft organisation and insisted that law enforcement activities should not be politicised.
“Now EFCC is chasing them, he said it’s me. What’s my business? If your state is clean, go there and enjoy yourself,” the minister added.
Wike maintained that his disagreements with Bala were strictly within the confines of party leadership and not about personal finances or governance choices.
“So this is just to tell Nigerians, tell them to leave me alone; go and face your problems. I’m only fighting with you as party leadership. I’m not interested in what you spend,” he said.
Before condemning the current administration, he also discussed Bala’s term as FCT minister from 2010 to 2015 and urged the Bauchi governor to take responsibility for his own performance in Abuja.
“You said I’m spending badly. You were Minister of FCT from 2010 to 2015. Why not tell the people what you did in the FCT? The whole land, you sold it. Do the roads, you awarded contracts, they collected upfront, and now I’m the one completing the projects,” Wike said.
The former governor said argued that rather than being distracted by accusations, Nigerians were daily appraising his performance in office.
“Nigerians are singing our names every day that we have done well. And we will continue to do well,” he declared.
The minister concluded his remarks with a sarcastic jab at those whom he said blamed him for every political crisis across the country, saying, “Anybody who has a stroke, it’s Wike. Anybody who has a headache, Wike. Those who are in Sokoto, Wike, they are in Taraba, Wike. They are in Lagos, Wike; they are in Bauchi, Wike. So it means this Wike is too strong.”
