₦airaland Forum

As of Friday, PREMIUM TIMES counted at least 20 LGAs the minister has already visited across Rivers State between December 2025 and January 2026.

by Chinagorom Ugwu


The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has left his duties unattended in Abuja for at least two weeks while continuing to tour local government areas in Rivers State, Nigeria’s South-South, because of 2027 politics.

Mr Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, described his ongoing tour of the state’s 23 local government areas as a “thank-you” visit. But at almost all the locations during the tour, he disclosed that it was all about the 2027 general elections, often telling a crowd why President Bola Tinubu should be supported to win re-election and why he (Wike) is against Governor Fubara of Rivers.

The Rivers House of Assembly initiated an impeachment process against Mr Fubara on Thursday, shortly after Mr Wike accused the governor of reneging on the terms of a peace deal brokered by the president.


The touring of LGAs and when it began

Mr Wike began public appearances in Rivers State on 26 December 2025 when he visited Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of the state during the conferment of a chieftaincy title on the Majority Leader of the Rivers House of Assembly, Major Jack.

Two days later, he embarked on what he termed a “special Christmas visit” to Emohua LGA.

By 30 December 2025, the FCT minister continued the “thank-you visit” to the Gokana Local Government Area of the state.

He visited Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area on 2 January before making a trip to Okrika Local Government Area of the state the following day.

He visited Ahoada West Local Government Area on 4 January 2026.

The following day, Mr Wike visited Oyigbo Local Government Area and Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area.

On 6 January, the FCT minister visited Degema Local Government Area.

His visits continued with a trip to the Asari Toru Local Government Area on 7 January. On the same day, he visited the Ahoada East Local Government Area.

On Thursday, Mr Wike showed no sign of resting, as evidenced by his visit to the Bonny Local Government Area.

The visit occurred barely an hour after Rivers House of Assembly began impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and the Deputy Governor, Ngọzi Odu.

The FCT minister continued his tour on Friday with his visit to Andoni Local Government Area.

He is scheduled to visit Obio/Akpor LGA on 11 January, according to a Facebook post by Martins Wachukwu, the media aide to the Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule.

As of Friday, PREMIUM TIMES counted at least 20 LGAs he has already visited across Rivers between December and January.


Away from duties while FCT boils

While Mr Wike continues his tour in Rivers, workers under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), which he oversees, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the minister over “unresolved and long-standing” labour and welfare issues.

The ultimatum, issued by the Joint Union Action Congress, FCT, took effect from 7 January 2026.

The union President Rifkatu Iortyer, and its Secretary, Abdullahi Umar Saleh, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

They warned that they would consider embarking on a strike if their demands were not met.

The union said it copied top government officials, including the FCT minister of state, the chief of staff to the FCT minister, the head of service of the FCT, and the director of the State Security Service, in its notice of strike, with the hope that they would attend to the matter.

Some of the grievances listed by the workers included non-release of approved overhead costs for six months in 2025, non-payment of five months’ wage award arrears owed to the workers.

Others included alleged staff intimidation and harassment, restrictions on phone usage by staff of the FCT Geographic Information System, and the non-payment of enforcement officers, street sweepers and cleansers under the Abuja Environmental Protection Board and Satellite Development Services.

“Our members can no longer endure the continued denial of their legitimate entitlements,” the union said.

The union also accused the FCT administration of refusing to uphold financial autonomy and approved spending thresholds for permanent secretaries and heads of departments as well as agencies.

“The refusal to observe financial autonomy and constituted thresholds has undermined effective administration in the FCT,” it stated.


Wike’s abandonment of duty saddening – Lawyer

Inibehe Effiong, a human rights lawyer, argued it was saddening that the FCT minister would begin “political campaigns” by visiting local government areas in Rivers, while his duties are abandoned in Abuja.

“It saddens me that campaigns have not commenced, but you have the former governor (Wike) now going local government by local government basically campaigning ahead of next year 2027,” Mr Effiong said when he appeared on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief on Friday.

The Lagos-based lawyer also said Mr Wike has busied himself in Rivers while insecurity continued to worsen in the FCT where he serves as minister.

“In the same Abuja that he supervises as minister, a nurse was killed brutally; a lawyer was also killed. All within a space of a few days.

“Where is the minister of the FCT in the governance of the FCT? Why is he so obsessed with Rivers State?” he said.

Commenting on Mr Wike’s ongoing tour of Rivers, Paul Ibe, the spokesperson to a former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, accused the FCT minister of abandoning his duties in pursuit of leadership roles in both the APC and the PDP in Rivers.

“It is obvious that Nyesom Wike has abandoned his job as FCT minister in preference for 001 of both APC and PDP in Rivers,” Mr Ibe wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.

Earlier on Monday, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, asked Mr Wike to resign as minister to focus on Rivers politics amid his alleged overbearing political influence in the oil-rich state.

Mr Basiru’s call for Mr Wike’s resignation came a few hours after the minister warned the APC secretary to steer clear of Rivers politics and desist from making “careless and provocative statements” about the state.

Mr Wike’s warning followed Mr Basiru’s criticism of Victor Giadom, the APC national vice chairman (South-South), for describing Mr Fubara as “so-called governor.”

The FCT minister, in a meeting with his supporters on Monday in Rivers, boasted that he can challenge anybody, and that Rivers State is “a no-go area” for “political interference.”


Presidency silent. Wike reacts

Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson to President Bola Tinubu, did not respond to multiple calls and a text message seeking his comments.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the media aide to Mr Wike, Lere Olayinka, on Friday night, he said in “this digital age” the FCT minister did not need to be physically present in Abuja to perform his duties.

“If the minister is in Port Harcourt, does that mean he is not treating files? Is it not government files that can be treated anywhere? He is doing his job,” he said.

Mr Olayinka argued that although the recent killings of a nurse and a lawyer in the FCT were unfortunate, the rate of such killings in the nation’s capital had reduced unlike before Mr Wike became minister.

He said the minister’s ongoing tour of local government areas in Rivers did not amount to political campaigns.

“It is thank-you visits, not campaigns,” he insisted.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/south-south-regional/848548-wike-abandons-ministerial-duties-in-abuja-for-weeks-because-of-rivers-politics.html

Una never see anything yet.

He is the Defacto President of Nigeria na

Someone that made someone President is more or less a President or even bigger than the President.


Wike made Tinubu President and if he denies it let him dare Wike and come out fully to support Fubara lets check who get power pass

I don't know what to say, na them hold Nigeria, they fit do as them like

'Mr Agreement' on tour. Promising new money sharing formulas

Wike the wicked. If breeze blow and wike falls, he might never wake up again in politics

This kind of political sabotage shows how personal rivalries are being prioritized over the progress and stability Rivers State truly needs. Leadership should be about service, not settling scores.

He’s currently sharing one trouser with Fubara at Rivers state so he can’t come back until they are sure who really owns the trouser.

If he comes back the trouser goes to Fubara.

How much is he making in Abuja?
Compare to oil money in Rivers State.
Abuja can wait.

The president is obviously weak.

If Wike survives that ministerial appointment this year, then he's very lucky.
Baba is just looking for ways to maintain political value
Na resignation we go hear next

Nyerisi is on leave. Today is another perfect day to remind you that agreement is agreement! Tinubu must obey.

He has turned Rivers state to his supermarket.

He is only following his boss' footsteps . Nigeria is on Auto-pilot

Agreement is Agreement

The problem is not Wike, the problem is the very weak president called Tinubu who can not control an ordinary minister appointed by him.

This is the first and the weakest president Nigeria has ever seen in their national life.

Can you imagine as vulnerable as Buhari and Yardua with their health condition, but all their ministers were very loyal and respectful to them.


No wonder Lagos citizens prefer Peter Obi to him.


🤔🤔🤔🤔

"As e dey pain dem e dey sweet us" - Wicked Wike

Wike's favourite Song

franchasofficia:
He is the Defacto President of Nigeria na

Someone that made someone President is more or less a President or even bigger than the President.


Wike made Tinubu President and if he denies it let him dare Wike and come out fully to support Fubara lets check who get power pass

the Agbadorians may not like this.why would u say that wike is stronger than their lord and personal saviour

Our President is working from France while FCT minister is working from River State, wao what a working country!!!

Propaganda all the time

Nigerians and politics of hate are five and six

In this era of electronic communications?

Even TINUBU wouldn't dare say PIM!!..

WIKE wey hold Tinubu by his blokos!!

Both know themselves....Really birds of the same feathers.......just that one is older than the other.....

See the kinda people in leadership positions in Nigeria, SMH.





Nigeria is doomed!

Nigerians don't understand that politicians and political office appointees are to be held accountable by them...but Nigerians rather be sycophants, dividing themselves into camps, and turning their lives into soap operas with political actors...on the behest of the people's time and resources.

They are supposed to be working not acting drama or feeling like Don dada, politicians are servants of the people.

If Nigeria wasn't a joke, this wouldn't be happening.
A Governor isn't just impeached for not sharing the same political ideology of the Assembly's majority, he has to commit impeachable offences.
Not so in Nigeria, the guilty ones are free, because they're in bed with the majority.

Sensational headline..

There was Christmas and New Year Holiday..
Most people had leave and traveled..
Many are resuming on Monday 13th..

What's strange in Wike's absence...what if he is on annual leave

lomaxx:
The president is obviously weak.

The weakest ever in history

Brown envelope and stomach journalism!
Is he underperforming like 80% of the ministers? No!

His performance in the fct speaks louder that every other ministers. Hate him or like him, but stop publishing rubbish reports. How many months has amoda yekini gone missing while Nigeria is on autopilot?

franchasofficia:
He is the Defacto President of Nigeria na

Someone that made someone President is more or less a President or even bigger than the President.


Wike made Tinubu President and if he denies it let him dare Wike and come out fully to support Fubara lets check who get power pass

Tinubu should not provoke Wike, else he would spill everything out.

Even who actually won the presidency.

Wike is the only politician in Nigeria that has the guts and will power to teach Tinubu a lesson if he actually wants to..

They cannot do anything to him bc they know what he did to rivers vote in 2023, if they dear nyash go open. He holds them down handicap.

Nobody can hold him at this time, they cannot .





















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Go to court traitors or commit suicide because of Wine matter, either you people like it or not Wike is the only responsible ( talk and do) politician Tinubu knows in River state Yoruba people don't betray our benefactors, Obituary followers should face front, till now they've not recovered from the last general election.