FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has dismissed the backlash following his private meeting with APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, insisting that political affiliations should not prevent human association or personal courtesy.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, has fired back at critics questioning his recent visit to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday after inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja, the Minister maintained that he does not practice “politics of enmity.”
Wike explained that the meeting was a gesture of personal courtesy and reciprocity rather than a strategic political maneuver. He expressed surprise at the public fixation on the visit, arguing that political differences should not serve as a barrier to social interactions between individuals.
The Minister disclosed that he and Yilwatda were colleagues prior to the latter’s emergence as the APC National Chairman. He revealed that the visit was prompted by Yilwatda’s multiple unsuccessful attempts to secure an appointment at the FCT Administration Secretariat.
“As a busy minister, I receive many visitors. Since he could not secure an appointment at the office, I opted to visit him at his residence to hear what he had to say,” Wike explained. He questioned the logic of his critics, asking, “Anytime I see him, I should hide? Anytime he sees me, he should run away so people will not talk?”
Dismissing the political speculations surrounding the encounter, Wike emphasized that his primary focus remains on his ministerial duties and his loyalty to President Bola Tinubu. He stated that he is indifferent to “what somebody on the road is thinking” regarding his social associations.
“What is important to me is what I am doing for my people because the results of my work hold more weight than political speculation,” the Minister asserted.
Wike, a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) serving in an APC-led administration, has frequently been at the center of political debate. However, he maintained that his priority is the delivery of infrastructure and the fulfillment of the President’s “Renewed Hope” mandate in the FCT, rather than joining issues with those he described as “fixated” on his movements.
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