Prioritise competent leaders over interest- seeking politicians, Wike tells Nigerians

The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has warned Nigerians against falling for the tricks of deceitful politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Mr Wike, who spoke on Thursday at the inaugural Idoma Hall of Fame induction ceremony, held as part of the Idoma Centenary Plus celebration, urged Nigerians to look beyond ethnic sentiments, political calculations and the struggle for power to demand leadership that prioritises competence, fairness, accountability and service delivery.

The minister said, “One of the enduring difficulties of our political life is the tendency to convert public power into private possession.”

Mr Wike, who warned against politicians who exploit grievances over marginalisation to advance personal interests, claimed the country’s political future hinges on citizens’ ability to distinguish between genuine public servants and those seeking power for personal or sectional advantage.

He urged Nigerians to scrutinise the intentions and records of political leaders rather than allow ethnic loyalty and the politics of entitlement to determine their choices.

According to the minister, the persistent agitation for equity and fairness should not become an avenue for political opportunism or the redistribution of privileges among competing groups.

The minister warned that Nigeria’s quest for fairness would remain unresolved if political actors focused only on which ethnic group or region controlled power without addressing the conditions under which it was exercised.

“If one group replaces another at the table while the benefits remain fundamentally exclusionary, the occupants have changed, but the injustice has not.

“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,” Mr Wike added.

Noting that the true test of fairness was the willingness to defend justice even when it did not favour one’s ethnic group or political interests, the minister said Nigeria needed a political culture in which public office was regarded as a trust rather than an entitlement.

“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 added.

Mr Wike argued that the performance of political leaders should be measured by the tangible benefits their decisions delivered to citizens, rather than the identities of those occupying positions of authority.

“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 called for a political system that prioritised the common good and ensured that every Nigerian had a reasonable opportunity to participate in national life regardless of background.