The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken a fresh swipe at Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, saying Obi will continue contesting for president only on social media, not in real life.
Wike made the remark during the commissioning of a newly completed road project in Abuja, where he addressed several political issues and responded to Obi’s recent comments about schools and infrastructure within the FCT.
According to Wike, Obi’s recent visits to public facilities and his online commentaries about governance were “mere political theatrics” aimed at staying relevant rather than providing genuine solutions.
“You’ll continue to contest as president on social media but not as president of Nigeria,” Wike said pointedly, drawing reactions from the crowd.
“You cannot be inspecting schools in Abuja and pretending to care more than those working. When you were governor, did you finish all your schools? If you had done so, no one would be talking about underdevelopment today.”
Wike also accused Obi of using social media popularity as a substitute for real political structure and grassroots mobilization, stressing that governance requires more than online influence.
“Governance is not social media likes or hashtags. It is about results, capacity, and consistency,” Wike added.
The FCT Minister further claimed that Nigeria’s political reality is “too complex” for what he described as “Twitter and Facebook politics,” emphasizing that winning the presidency requires alliances across all regions and political blocs.
