By Our Reporter
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has fired back at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, stating that both politicians are unqualified to declare the Rivers State local government election illegal.
Atiku and Obi had in separate statements dismissed the Saturday polls as unlawful, sparking a heated response from the minister during a media parley in Abuja on Monday.
The Rivers State local government election, recently conducted under Wike’s political influence in the state, has been a subject of controversy, with opposition leaders calling it a sham. However, Wike insists the process was legitimate and widely commended.
He maintained that the elections were lawfully conducted, arguing that his critics lacked the moral or legal authority to question them.
“Listen, I don’t blame Atiku; he didn’t know that his boss signed the emergency rule in 2004. If he knew, if he was obedient and working along with his boss, who was President Olusegun Obasanjo, he would have known that the President has the power to make regulations for the governance of emergency areas.
“So, he was not in tune. He doesn’t know, and as I said, what you don’t know, don’t comment about it. If Atiku had comments about Customs, I know he has worked in Customs. I can give it to him, but this is law.”
The minister further dismissed Obi’s criticism, saying the former Anambra governor lacked credibility to speak about the conduct of local government polls.
“Now take Peter Obi. He said rascality. Who can be more [of a] rascal than Obi? Obi was the governor of Anambra State for eight years. He conducted local government elections two months before he left office — eight years as governor.”
Wike stressed that both men’s comments were politically motivated and aimed at undermining the legitimacy of a process that, according to him, was generally adjudged transparent.
