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Don’t Hold Grudges Because I Chose Politics — Wike Fires Back at Critics, Reaffirms Grip on Rivers Votes(Photos)
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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed criticisms trailing his political choices, insisting that politics is driven by interests, power and the will of the people, not sentiment or emotions.
The Minister stated this on Sunday during the grand finale of his “thank you” tour to Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, his political base, where he addressed a massive crowd of supporters and political leaders.
While addressing thousands of his loyalists and supporters at the event, Wike stressed that his decision to venture into politics was deliberate and not accidental.
To his distractors, the minister explained that he chose to be a politician and not a pastor, a trader, a public commentator or journalist, urging them to allow him to play his politics.
Wike hinted that, “I did not say I wanted to be a journalist. I did not say I wanted to shape public opinion through writing. I said clearly that I wanted to be a politician and that is what I am’.
He added that his visit to Obio/Akpor was borne out of gratitude, noting that acknowledging support is a fundamental principle of leadership.
“This time, I called on you and you responded positively. I felt it was important to come back and say thank you”.
When someone does good to you, you acknowledge it. Gratitude matters,” Wike said.
According to him, there is no sentiment or emotion in politics, what matters is interest; the interest of the people.
He added that “power is not given but taken” saying, “for the people of Obio/Akpor, we have the power to dictate who becomes a governor in Rivers.
“Nobody has become governor in this state without Obio/Akpor making a pronouncement; nobody has become a senator of Rivers East without Obio/Akpor making a decision.
“So, if you like, abuse us, after abusing us, come and look for our votes and we will punish you with the votes.
“Don’t bother about people who say ‘sack him.’ If my appointor believes that I cannot offer anything again, he has the right; it is not in your place to tell him what to do”.
He said that Tinubu knows his worth and as such, does not need anybody to tell him what to do.
The minister said that Tinubu has done so much for Rivers people, stressing that the people would return the favour in 2027.
Earlier, Rep Kingsley Chinda, Minority Leader of the House of Representative, pointed out that Obio/Akpor has over 684,000 votes out of the 3.5 million registered voters in Rivers State.
Chinda, who represents the Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber, said that with such voting strength, nobody would challenge the political power of the LGA in the state.
“Just go home. Tell us what you want us to do and we will do it,” he told the minister.
Chairman of the Council, Dr Gift Worlu, described Wike as a “gift” to the LGA, the state and the country, due to his outstanding performance in public service at the local, state and national levels.
Worlu thanked the minister for the many things he had done for the people of the LGA, adding that supporting the election of Tinubu in 2023 had led to the harvest upon harvest of benefits to the people.
He assured the minister that the people know where to go in the 2027 presidential election in the state.
Speaking on the gubernatorial election, the chairman said, “we do not know where to go yet, but we know where not to go”.
Also, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, reassured the minister of the full support of people in the local government area.
Amaewhule added that members of the State Assembly would continue to pray for him and support his call for the reelection of Tinubu for a second term.
“Tell Mr President that what we did for him in 2023 we will do even better in 2027,” he said.
The twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last month killed over 5,000 people, National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez posted on Telegram Friday.
The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes struck within a minute of each other on 24 June, decimating the coastal state of La Guaira located north of Caracas.
The disasters killed 5,069 people, Rodriguez said, with most casualties occurring in the coastal region.
The number of people injured remains unchanged at 16,740, with the parliamentary leader earlier stating that most had already been discharged from hospital.
Some 20,000 people made homeless by the quakes are living in overcrowded camps, many of which lack water supplies and proper sanitation systems.
The federal high court in Kano has barred the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) from operating on state and local government roads.
The court also declared the corps’ operations on township roads within Kano metropolis unlawful, holding that they violated the fundamental rights of citizens.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, M.S. Shuaibu, the presiding judge, ruled in favour of Abba Hikima, a Kano-based lawyer who sued the FRSC over its activities in July 2025.
According tọ media reports,the judge held that FRSC officers acted outside their statutory powers by stopping, questioning and delaying motorists on township roads.
He added that the actions breached the constitutional rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement guaranteed under sections 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
The judge granted all the reliefs sought by Hikima, including a perpetual injunction restraining FRSC personnel from stopping or harassing motorists on Kano state roads without lawful authority.
He also ordered the corps to publish a public apology in a national newspaper and awarded the applicant N800,000 in damages and costs.
The suit followed an incident in July 2025 when FRSC operatives mounted checkpoints on township roads in Kano and stopped motorists, including Hikima, demanding driver’s licences and questioning them despite the absence of any primary traffic offence.
Hikima subsequently approached the federal high court, noting that the corps had unlawfully violated his fundamental rights.
He said that the FRSC’s statutory mandate covers only federal highways and does not extend to state or local government roads.
The Isoun family announced the death of former minister Turner Isoun, who passed away in Abuja on Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Isoun served as Minister of Science and Technology under ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and championed Nigeria’s space and ICT revolution.
According to Premium Times, the Isoun spokesperson, Diseye Timinipre Isoun, confirmed the passing of the family patriarch in a statement, noting that the elder statesman was based in Odi, Bayelsa State.
In his reaction, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State described the late Professor as “an academic colossus whose contributions to scholarship and national development are outstanding and immeasurable.”
He stated that Prof. Isoun’s demise was a significant loss not only to the Ijaw nation but also to Nigeria as a whole, The Nation reported.
Isoun’s ‘legacy’ in science and ICT
A Professor of Veterinary Medicine by training, Isoun made his most enduring mark during his tenure as Minister of Science and Technology in the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He was widely credited with driving Nigeria’s early push into information technology and space exploration.
Among his most consequential initiatives was the establishment of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the creation of Galaxy Backbone Plc, a government ICT firm set up to harmonise national communication networks and build a reliable broadband infrastructure across the country.
Under his watch, Nigeria also achieved landmark milestones in space technology, including the launch of NigeriaSat-1 and Nigcomsat 1R, two satellites that marked a defining chapter in the country’s scientific history.
Before his ministerial career, Isoun had already distinguished himself in academia.
He served as the founding Vice Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology in Port Harcourt in the old Rivers State, now known as Rivers State University, laying what Governor Diri described as the solid foundations of the country’s first technology-focused university.
Beyond his academic and governmental roles, Isoun remained deeply connected to his Ijaw heritage.
He served as chairman of the Ijaw National Congress, Central Zone, and played a notable part in the political process that led to the creation of Bayelsa State from the old Rivers State in 1996.
“The Odi-born scientist would be greatly missed for his candour, wise counsel and commitment to Ijaw socio-cultural values,” Governor Diri said, while extending condolences from the Bayelsa State Government to the Isoun family and community.
He urged them to take comfort in the late elder statesman’s lasting contributions to national life.
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