The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said a leader who disregards national symbols cannot be trusted and should not be allowed near the presidency.
Naija News reports that Wike made the remark while reacting to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his supporters’ decision to sing the old National Anthem during a town hall meeting in Lagos State.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ town hall meeting on Friday in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State, organised under the banner of the Rainbow Coalition to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates, Wike said Peter Obi demonstrated lawlessness and an intent to divide Nigeria.
He said, “A whole national anthem of a country is being sung. A man who wants to be President of Nigeria would disobey and sit down. And then not only that, when a different national anthem that is not being used for Nigeria [was sung], he stood up.
“In a way, he does not belong to this country. In a way, he has said he does not belong to this country; that if you give him the president, he would do a different thing that will divide Nigeria.
“A man who does not believe in Nigeria, someone who derives joy in ridiculing the country by disrespecting its symbolic National Anthem must not be allowed to come near the presidency of our country.”
Wike also criticised Peter Obi’s political trajectory and past governance record, alleging that the former Anambra State governor frequently abandons political parties whenever internal crises arise, rather than staying to resolve them.
The Minister further faulted Obi for not holding local government elections during his eight-year tenure as governor, calling it a contradiction of his professed belief in the rule of law.
