"What Obi should learn from Tinubu": Wike drops unexpected

• Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister, has knocked the NDC presidential candidate in the 2027 election, Peter Obi, for failing to be a courageous politician
• Wike, a two-term governor of Rivers State, in an interview on Monday, June 1, explained that leadership is all about confronting and fixing the existing problem
• The minister's outburst was a reaction to Obi's political trajectory from APGA to PDP, Labour Party, ADC and now to the NDC

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has taken a swipe at the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, describing him as a leader who could not confront a problem and fix it; rather, he ran away from it to where there is comfort.

Wike's comment was a reference to Obi's political trajectory. Obi, who was a former governor of Anambra State, had moved from All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, where he contested the 2023 presidential election, then to African Democratic Congress (ADC) and now to the NDC.

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Peter Obi's political trajectory before NDC

So far, Obi was known for leaving the parties whenever there was an internal problem. He had garnered over six million votes in the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, but after the general election, the party fell into an internal crisis, and the former governor of Anambra left for the ADC for his 2027 presidential ambition.

He soon realised that the ADC would not zone its presidential ticket to the south and may have to contest the primary against the likes of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. He then left to the NDC where he was the sole presidential aspirant and became the party's candidate, the same way he emerged the Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023.

Reacting to Obi's emergence in the NDC, Wike, while speaking at his monthly media chat on Monday, June 1, criticised the former governor for preferring "food is ready politics, describing him as a leader who "avoid struggle".

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Wike's statement further reads in part:

"In Nigeria, you must have the capacity to face challenges instead of running at the first sign of trouble. The worst kind of leader is someone who identifies a problem but cannot make decisions to solve it."

Wike tells Obi what to learn from Tinubu

Wike, who is also a two term governor of Rivers state and a chieftain of the PDP, reference President Bola Tinubu's removal of the fuel subsidy. Stating that past leaders in the country in the country have identified the subsidy as a problem but did not have the courage to remove it.

He explained that leadership is not about identifying the problem, but about fixing it. He also cited the crisis in the PDP and recalled telling people that he would not leave the party irrespective of the challenges, saying that presently, he is still in the PDP despite working for the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government.

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See the video of Wike's interview on X here:

Peter Obi announces running mate

Legit.ng earlier reported that Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State, has declared Rabiu Kwankwaso, the ex-governor of Kano State, as his running mate in the 2027 election.

Obi made the announcement shortly after he was endorsed and nominated as the presidential candidate of the NDC.

Seriake Dickson, the national leader and founder of the NDC, further announced the development in a statement on Saturday, May 30.

Source: Legit.ng