The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has asked Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, to face his political and legal challenges and leave him out of the matter.
Wike made the statement on Thursday during a “thank you” visit to Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Earlier on Thursday, Mohammed accused Wike of orchestrating the political crises in Bauchi State, alleging that the minister had threatened to “put fire” in his state and was using federal agencies and political machinery to destabilise his administration.
The Bauchi governor also criticised Wike’s leadership style in the FCT, describing his spending pattern as questionable and accusing him of becoming a rallying point for internal conflicts within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Responding sharply, Wike dismissed the allegations and advised Mohammed to stop shifting blame.
“If you do not have such power, why are you fighting? If you have the power to put out the fire, then go ahead and do it,” Wike said.
He recalled warning Mohammed during a previous visit to Rivers State to stay away from attempts to impose party leadership.
“You came to my state. I told you to be careful. Leave my state alone because you wanted to impose a party leader. I warned him that there would be consequences,” Wike said.
According to Wike, Mohammed’s current political predicament was self-inflicted, noting that the governor no longer had a party structure strong enough to produce a successor.
“If you know you do not have the strength to fight, why don’t you retreat?” he added.
The FCT minister stressed that he was only engaging Mohammed at the level of party leadership and had no interest in the affairs of Bauchi State.
He further urged the governor to address issues involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which he claimed was investigating Mohammed’s associates over alleged terrorism financing.
“What is my business? If your state is clean, go there and clear yourself. Don’t come and tell Nigerians stories. Leave me alone and face your problems,” Wike said.
Reacting to allegations over land sales in Abuja, Wike challenged Mohammed to account for his own tenure as FCT minister between 2010 and 2015.
“You sold land everywhere. The contracts you awarded were abandoned. I am the one completing projects today, and Nigerians are praising our efforts,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of Abua-Odual Local Government Council, Mr. Owolobi Ofori, alongside other stakeholders, pledged total loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and Wike.
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