Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, says he would appoint the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to his government if he became president, but would restrict the minister’s public comments
Adebayo made the remark in an interview with Symfoni, where he spoke on governance, the performance of the administration of President Bola Tinubu and recent political developments, including the Osun State election
He said he recognised Wike’s commitment to work and credited the minister with driving infrastructure projects in the FCT, but expressed reservations about his public communication and approach to political disagreements
According to Adebayo, Wike’s work ethic was one of the qualities he admired about the former Rivers State governor
“I respect Wike for one thing: that he has a good work ethic He can work,” he said.
Adebayo said the level of work being undertaken in the FCT under Wike compared favourably with the performance of some of the minister’s predecessors
He argued that Nigeria’s infrastructure would improve significantly if commissioners of works across the states demonstrated a similar commitment to executing projects
The SDP candidate, however, raised questions about the cost and value of some of the projects being undertaken under Wike, saying there could be concerns over contract pricing and value for money
Despite those reservations, he acknowledged that infrastructure projects were being executed and said residents of the FCT could see the impact of the work
“As an FCT resident, travel has become easier,” Adebayo said, while acknowledging the changes he attributed to the ongoing projects
He nevertheless criticised what he described as Wike’s approach to public communication and his handling of issues involving the use of state power
Adebayo said the minister’s style could send the wrong message to young Nigerians about how political disagreements should be handled in a democracy
He expressed the hope that Wike would recognise that political power was temporary and that democratic governance should be based on institutions and civility rather than the projection of force
Adebayo also called on the media to limit its coverage of Wike to issues relating to his responsibilities as FCT minister
He argued that giving the minister platforms to comment extensively on matters outside his official brief could diminish the dignity associated with his office
According to him, Wike should concentrate on his responsibilities in the FCT and, where necessary, communicate any support for the President privately rather than through public exchanges
Adebayo said he would consider Wike for a ministerial appointment in his administration because of his capacity to work, but would seek to control his public utterances
“If I was in my own government, I can appoint Wike, but I’ll put a little tape in his mouth,” he said
The SDP presidential candidate, however, described Wike as the “number one performing minister” in the Tinubu administration, citing the pace of infrastructure development in the FCT
He maintained that whatever reservations he had about Wike’s political style did not diminish his assessment of the minister’s work ethic and visible involvement in FCT projects
Adebayo said the key distinction, in his view, was between Wike’s capacity to deliver projects and what he regarded as his approach to public political discourse