Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has urged Nigerians to reject what he described as political gamblers ahead of the 2027 general elections, accusing some politicians of exploiting the plight of vulnerable Nigerians to advance their presidential ambitions.
Wike questioned the sincerity of politicians who, according to him, failed to celebrate their birthdays with the downtrodden while in public office but had suddenly started visiting internally displaced persons (IDP) camps to mark their birthdays because they wanted to become president.
The minister spoke on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at the inaugural Idoma Hall of Fame induction ceremony, held as part of the Idoma Centenary Plus celebration.
Delivering a keynote address titled “People, Politics and Power Play in Nigeria: The Agitation for Equity and Fairness,” Wike warned Nigerians against allowing ethnic sentiments, political calculations and the struggle for power to determine their choice of leaders.
He insisted that the country needed leaders who could deliver on their promises, demonstrate competence and accountability, and promote fairness rather than exploit grievances over marginalisation for personal political gains.
The FCT minister cautioned that the demand for equity and fairness should not become a tool for political opportunism or an avenue for competing ethnic groups to seek control of public resources for their exclusive benefit.
“One of the enduring difficulties of our political life is the tendency to convert public power into private possession,” Wike said.
He argued that when politicians turn public office into a means of personal enrichment, government resources become instruments of private gain, while sectional domination fuels resentment among citizens who feel excluded from governance.
According to him, Nigeria’s search for fairness will remain unsuccessful if political actors focus only on which ethnic group or region controls power without addressing how that power is exercised.
“If one group replaces another at the table while the benefits remain fundamentally exclusionary, the occupants have changed, but the injustice has not,” he said.
Wike also challenged Nigerians to be consistent in their demand for justice, warning against people who complain about marginalisation only when members of their communities are excluded from political power.
“If we complain about marginalisation only when our own people are excluded, but become silent when others are marginalised after our people gain power, we are not opposing injustice; we are seeking access to its privileges,” he said.
He maintained that genuine fairness required citizens to defend justice even when doing so did not favour their ethnic group or political interests.
The minister called for a political culture that treats public office as a responsibility to the people rather than an entitlement, stressing that Nigeria’s diversity should unite the country instead of creating divisions.
On the federal character principle enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Wike said the provision was designed to promote national unity and prevent the domination of public institutions by a few states or sectional interests.
However, he warned that the pursuit of equitable representation must not be used to undermine competence and merit.
“A Nigerian should not be excluded from public office because of where he or she comes from; neither should competence become irrelevant once a candidate’s identity satisfies a representational expectation,” he said.
Wike further argued that the performance of political leaders should be judged by the benefits their policies and decisions deliver to ordinary Nigerians, rather than the identities of those occupying positions of authority.
He identified employment, quality education, accessible healthcare, infrastructure, electricity, security and economic opportunities as essential measures of meaningful political inclusion.
According to him, the appointment of a prominent political figure from a particular community means little to residents who continue to struggle with unemployment, inadequate public services and economic hardship.
“The real measure of political inclusion is therefore not simply who occupies office, but what the exercise of that office produces for the people,” he said.
The minister noted that Nigeria had adopted several mechanisms to accommodate its diversity, including federalism, state creation, revenue allocation, zoning and rotational presidency.
He, however, stressed that these arrangements alone could not guarantee fairness without a political system that prioritises the common good and gives every Nigerian a reasonable opportunity to participate in national life.
Wike also warned against a winner-takes-all approach to politics, in which the advancement of one community is seen as the defeat of another.
He urged political leaders to build institutions that serve the entire country rather than pursue arrangements designed to benefit only their supporters or ethnic constituencies.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Och’Idoma as part of the Idoma Centenary Plus celebration.
Wike commended the organisers for establishing the Idoma Hall of Fame to honour distinguished sons and daughters of the community, preserve its history and inspire future generations.
