FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has dismissed the newly formed ADC-led opposition coalition as a gathering of failed politicians driven by ambition, not patriotism.
Speaking during a media chat on Thursday, Wike described the group as “desperate political actors who lost out in the PDP and are now seeking power elsewhere.”
“There is no coalition,” he said bluntly. “The opposition has decimated themselves. The only party that can, if they put themselves well, challenge this government is the PDP.”
He claimed that former Senate President David Mark tried to hijack the PDP before defecting to chair the coalition.
“David Mark wanted to be chairman of the party and we said no… Now he has gone to take chairman of coalition. Let me see who Nigerians will listen to,” he added.
Wike Mocks Coalition Figures and Defections
Wike took a jab at Dele Momodu, calling him “somebody who said he ran for presidency—he didn’t get one vote.”
He accused Atiku Abubakar of constantly switching parties for personal gain.
“Atiku was in PDP, left to AC, came back, left to APC, returned to PDP—and now joined ADC,” he said. “Dem born you, born everytime leave, leave.”
Wike insisted their defections were not about Nigerians’ welfare.
“They keep saying Nigerians are angry. Say that you have been defeated in this place; don’t push it to Nigerians.”
He also took a swipe at Nasir El-Rufai: “If the president did not dump him, would there have been a coalition on his part?”
The minister challenged anyone in the coalition to match his record.
“If I leave as a minister today, I can say what I did. Let any of them challenge me.”
Tinubu Centre Renovation: ₦650m in Three Weeks
Wike revealed that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre earned ₦650 million within three weeks of reopening.
He said the facility had undergone total renovation, aside from the demolition of its core structure.
“The only thing we didn’t do in that structure was to bring the whole thing down,” Wike said.
Before the upgrade, the centre earned just ₦50 million yearly.
“The man they gave it to was paying ₦50 million to the FCT every year,” he said. “That place was commissioned on June 10, and revenue within three weeks was ₦650 million.”
He noted that after hosting ECOWAS heads of state, the venue attracted widespread interest.
“Go and see the comments from ambassadors. People are rushing that place now… It has been booked up to 2027,” Wike said.
He defended naming the centre after President Tinubu and dismissed critics of the ₦39 billion renovation cost.
“If you pay attention to frivolities, you won’t achieve anything,” he said. “Now you’re saying, why did I name it after Tinubu. Who should I name it after? Who is more qualified?”
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