A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and federal lawmaker, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has said no member of the ruling party can claim not to have benefited from the efforts of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in delivering President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Jibrin stated this on Wednesday night while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he rose in stout defense of the FCT Minister amid attacks from some APC governors.
“There is no APC member in Nigeria today that has not directly or indirectly benefited from the efforts of Wike, so long as delivering the President, also managing the government, also performing his work, there is nobody,” Jibrin declared.
The Kano lawmaker insisted that Wike remains a major asset to the APC and should not be subjected to public embarrassment.
“Wike is an asset to the APC. I don’t think Wike should be embarrassed at this moment with public statements,” he said.
Going further, Jibrin emphasized the huge sacrifice made by the FCT Minister for the ruling party:
“Wike is an asset to APC, he has sacrificed so much for the President and the APC.”
He clarified that his defense of Wike was not borne out of personal closeness, but out of the need to protect the stability of President Tinubu’s second term project.
“And secondly he made a huge sacrifice, as I talk to you, before only God I worship, I don’t know Wike but he knows me from a far and I know him from a far, if I see him I know he is Wike and if he sees me he will know I’m Honourable Jibrin, I have met him just twice accidentally, so I’m not holding any brief for Wike, but I think anything that is going to touch on the stability of the journey towards delivering the President I like to make my intervention,” he explained.
Jibrin revealed the extent of Wike’s sacrifice for the party, saying the FCT Minister surrendered his own political structures for the APC to thrive.
“I believe that Wike has sacrificed, he handed over Rivers to APC, Wike had candidates FCT election but asked them to step down for APC. Wike came into this government as government of national unity. In reality we should be fair to him, he has done far more than that,” he said.
The former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, said it was normal in politics to have members of other parties working for the APC, adding that Wike is not alone in that regard.
“There are people who are in other parties, who are working with us in the NDC, in the ADC. Some of them called me yesterday, saying, ‘Look at what they are saying about Wike,'” he stated.
He further advised the aggrieved APC governors to see Wike as one of their own and seek dialogue rather than public attacks.
“For the governors, they should take Wike as part of them, you call Wike the number 32 governor and Adeleke number 33 governor of the APC, if there is problem at the state level, the entire coalition that he is doing is for the President, if anybody at the subnational level feels it may work against him or his interest, they should discuss with Wike, but I do not think Wike should be embarrassed with statements,” he stated.
Jibrin’s intervention comes amid criticism of Wike by some APC governors, notably Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who have questioned his continued membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while mobilizing for Tinubu’s re-election under his “Rainbow Coalition.”
He argued that Wike’s support has already translated into tangible electoral gains, including the APC’s victory in five out of six Area Councils in the recently concluded FCT elections.
According to him, politics is about numbers and winning, and Wike has proven his capacity to deliver.
The Kano-born politician, a key figure in the coalition for Tinubu’s second term bid, urged the party to protect and leverage Wike’s value rather than attack him, warning against inflammatory statements that could demoralize strategic allies working for the President from outside the APC.
