SDP Presidential Candidate Explains How He Plans to Handle Wike in His Government
- SDP presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo spoke about Wike's performance as FCT Minister during an interview with Symfoni
- Adebayo praised Wike's work ethic and credited him with visible infrastructure progress across the FCT
- Despite his praise, Adebayo raised concerns about Wike's communication style and how it could affect young Nigerians' view of democracy
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo has said he would bring Nyesom Wike into his government if he became president, but would impose strict limits on the FCT minister's public statements.
Adebayo made the remarks during an interview with Symfoni, where he assessed the Tinubu administration, spoke on governance, and addressed recent political developments, including the Osun State election.
Adebayo praises Wike's work ethic.
The SDP candidate called Wike the "number one performing minister" in President Bola Tinubu's cabinet, pointing to the pace of infrastructure development across the Federal Capital Territory as evidence of his effectiveness on the job.
"I respect Wike for one thing: that he has a good work ethic. He can work," Adebayo said.
He added that the scale of construction activity in the FCT under Wike compared favourably with the record of several of his predecessors in the role.
Adebayo went further to argue that if commissioners of works across Nigeria's states showed a similar dedication to project delivery, the country's infrastructure would be in a significantly better condition.
As someone who lives in the FCT, Adebayo acknowledged a personal benefit from the changes, saying, "As an FCT resident, travel has become easier."
He did, however, raise questions about contract pricing and whether some of the projects represented genuine value for money, even while acknowledging that the work was visible and residents could see its impact.
**The 'Tape' Condition**
Despite his positive assessment of Wike's output, Adebayo was direct about the conditions under which he would bring the minister into his administration.
"If I was in my own government, I can appoint Wike, but I'd put a little tape in his mouth," he said.
Adebayo's concern centred on what he described as Wike's approach to public political discourse and his use of the influence that comes with high office.
He argued that this style could send a damaging message to young Nigerians about how disagreements should be resolved within a democratic system, and expressed hope that Wike would come to see that political power is temporary.
He also called on journalists to focus their coverage of Wike strictly on his duties as FCT minister, arguing that giving him a platform to weigh in on matters outside his official brief risked undermining the dignity of the office.
In his view, any backing Wike wished to express for the President should be communicated privately rather than through high-profile public appearances.
Adebayo was careful to separate his criticism of Wike's political conduct from his view of the minister's capacity to deliver, insisting the two issues were distinct and that the latter remained genuinely impressive.
Source: Legit.ng
