Laolu Akande, a former presidential aide, attributes President Bola Tinubu’s patience with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s controversial actions to the minister’s expected political value for the ruling All Progressives Congress in the upcoming 2027 elections.
Akande, who spoke on the My Take segment of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television on Friday, described Wike’s recent actions as increasingly authoritarian, arguing that his political influence may be sustaining his position within the federal government.
He said Wike’s continued relevance to the APC’s political calculations could be as important as his performance as FCT minister in determining his political future.
“Wike may not just be keeping his seat in the FEC because of his performance as FCT minister, he has also managed to maintain himself as a political machinery of APC. So, as long as he is useful for 2027, his tyranny is being tolerated,” Akande said.
The former presidential aide argued that Wike’s conduct had raised questions about his approach to political disagreements and democratic competition.
“He’s not quite there, but Wike the FCT Minister is behaving like a tyrant,” he said.
Akande linked Wike’s latest controversy to his reaction to being referred to as “that guy” during an interview conducted at the United Nations.
During the interview, Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara State, used the expression while responding to a question from Akande that had also referred to Wike in those terms.
Akande said the incident appeared to have triggered Wike’s subsequent reaction, including an outburst during his monthly media chat earlier in the week. “Is he not that guy? Is he not a man? Perhaps, Wike did not see himself as a guy. This is a guy that calls Atiku emperor,” Akande said, referring to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. The former presidential aide questioned why the expression had generated such a strong reaction, contrasting Wike’s response with his own use of provocative descriptions of other political figures. Akande’s comments came amid renewed attention to Wike’s public exchanges and his confrontational approach to political opponents and critics. The former presidential aide also cited Wike’s account of his involvement in the 2024 Edo State governorship election as an example of what he described as an authoritarian approach to political competition. Wike had acknowledged working against the emergence of Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, despite describing him as a good candidate. According to Akande, Wike said Ighodalo had visited him more than three times but that he refused to support his candidacy because doing so could have enabled Godwin Obaseki, the then governor of Edo State, to retain political influence through his successor. Akande quoted Wike as saying: “I said I will not allow Obaseki to produce a successor even though the candidate was a good candidate — a very good candidate who was the chairman of a bank.” He also cited Wike’s reported explanation that Ighodalo’s victory would have amounted to bringing Obaseki back into power. “Ighodalo visited him more than three times, but he told him, ‘returning you will be like bringing him [Obaseki] back. So, I’m sorry, you have to fail,’” Akande said. The former presidential aide argued that deliberately working to defeat a candidate because of disagreements with the candidate’s political sponsor undermines democratic competition. “Now, that is not democracy. This is how a tyrant reasons,” he said. Akande suggested that Wike’s relationship with Tinubu and the APC could be influenced by his ability to deliver political support ahead of the 2027 general election. Although Wike remains a member of the PDP, his relationship with the Tinubu administration has attracted attention because of his participation in the federal government and his continued disagreements with elements of his party. Akande argued that Wike’s political value to the ruling party could help explain why his conduct has not resulted in a loss of support from the president. His assessment suggests that Wike’s position may depend not only on his responsibilities as FCT minister but also on the political advantages the APC believes he can provide ahead of the next election. However, Akande’s comments represent his interpretation of the political relationship between Wike and Tinubu, rather than a confirmed explanation from the presidency for the minister’s continued inclusion in the cabinet. Akande concluded by warning that political influence sustained by usefulness to a powerful ally could diminish once that usefulness ends. He argued that Wike’s current position could be affected by the outcome of the 2027 election, after which the political considerations surrounding his relationship with the APC might change. “But history is clear. Tyrants don’t last forever. Tyrants reign as long as they are indulged. Once the indulgence is over; once the utility expires; once 2027 is won or lost, that guy will have to answer to his own name,” Akande said.
What You Should Know
Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has criticized FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for displaying authoritarian tendencies, pointing to actions like deliberately opposing political opponents in past elections as undemocratic. Akande believes that despite these controversies, President Bola Tinubu and the APC continue to overlook Wike’s behavior because they rely heavily on his political machinery and influence to secure victory in the 2027 general elections.
- Positive Impact: Highlights internal political dynamics and keeps political actors accountable through public scrutiny and debate.
- Potential Concerns: Raises worries about the tolerance of authoritarian behavior in government and how political alliances might compromise democratic standards.
