ABUJA — The ongoing war of words between Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and the camp of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, escalated on Thursday as Wike’s aide dismissed Obi as a politician “without direction or a clear path to 2027.”
Responding to Obi’s criticism of the poor condition of public schools in the FCT, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media to the FCT Minister, accused the former Anambra State governor of relying on publicity stunts instead of addressing his waning political influence.
“It is funny that someone who should be worried about not having a platform for the 2027 elections has turned himself into a political wanderer,” Olayinka said. He went further to describe Obi as an “Internally Displaced Politician (IDP)” with no solid party structure, questioning whether any political party would still hand him a presidential ticket “just because he keeps retelling the one-shoe, one-wristwatch story.”
The aide defended Wike’s administration, asserting that the FCT was undergoing “real and verifiable development,” citing the renovation of 73 schools across the six Area Councils, with 21 projects already completed. He contrasted this with what he termed Obi’s “beer parlour style of governance” during his tenure in Anambra State.
The exchange adds another layer to the political tension between both camps, highlighting deepening rivalries as political actors reposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
