The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has urged Nigerians to reject the coalition forming under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing its members as “naysayers and unpatriotic.”
Speaking on Saturday at the 35th Combined Convocation and 50th Anniversary of the University of Port Harcourt, where he was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Science in Political Science, Wike claimed the coalition’s sole aim was to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027, despite lacking any credible record of service from past positions they’ve held.
He said, “The only intention of the coalition is to wrest power from incumbent President, Bola Tinubu, come 2027, even when they have no proven record of achievement in the various elective positions they have occupied in the past.”
Wike commended Tinubu’s early decisions in office, describing them as painful but necessary steps toward national transformation. He noted that some progress is already evident.
“Through his Renewed Hope Agenda, he has with the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund among other remarkable initiatives started the dramatic transformation of tertiary education landscape in such a way that soon, no willing child will be denied access to quality education because of economic hardship.”
He added, “Our country is undoubtedly on the path of positive ascendency and very soon, the impact will be visible even to the blind and obvious even to the cynically minded.”
Condemning the coalition, Wike accused its members of promoting falsehoods and division as part of a political agenda to undermine the Tinubu-led government.
He said, “We must resist the purveyors of lies, hate and division who seek to destroy our country. These men and women who converge under the banner of so-called coalition and propelling a division of grandeur and perpetual fight for relevance and political power.”
“If you interrogate their profiles, you will find that they have been in office for almost all their lives. Yet, they have nothing concrete to show of their achievements in building an enduring nation.”
He continued, “In only two years of this administration, they are congregating to destroy rather than build and rather than reconstruct our hitherto battered country for which most of them have been active dramatis personae in the willful destruction of our politics and economy which they painfully orchestrated in their respective tenure in office.”
“We know these naysayers and you are enjoined to reject them and their unpatriotic drum beats of division and failed propaganda.”
Speaking further about his ties with the University of Port Harcourt, Wike reflected on his long-standing relationship with the institution and why he continues to support it.
“It is in the light of the foregoing that I have always strongly believed that every alumnus should give back to the university as a mark of pure gratitude.”
“This also explains why I freely give to this institution whenever I have had the opportunity to so do.”
He recalled that there was no Faculty of Law at the university until his intervention during his time as Minister of State for Education.
“To this extent, you would recall that even though this university was established in 1975 as a conventional university, there was no Law faculty in this university.”
“So, when I became a Minister of State (for) Education, I saw it as an opportunity that we must have a Faculty of Law. I’m glad that the Vice-Chancellor said it here today that today, we have a Faculty of Law. I did not only end at that; I said there must be a befitting Faculty of Law building, and I insisted, and today, we have that Faculty of Law.”
