My job is to give opposition leaders high blood pressure — Wike

Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has declared that his primary objective in the ongoing political battle is to keep opposition leaders on edge and prevent them from feeling at ease. During a recent inspection of infrastructure projects in Abuja, the minister commented on the state of the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike expressed that the internal strife within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has made it challenging to identify a strong opposition party. He stated, "I’ve told you there is no position. What do you have people who are not trying to see whether they can be relevant? Who’s the opposition leader now? Ordinarily, it would have been PDP, but because of the crisis we have had, and so you can’t see a formidable party that you call a leading opposition party."

Wike emphasized that he is not concerned with the emotional well-being of opposition figures. "My business is to make them not to feel well all the days. Because they will be having high blood pressure. Yes, that’s my job." The minister, a former governor of Rivers State and a member of the PDP, has had conflicts with several opposition figures following the political crisis within the PDP.

Wike also dismissed concerns about the feelings of Atiku Abubakar, former Vice-President, and Peter Obi, Labour Party's 2023 presidential candidate, stating that their reactions are of no concern to him. He added, "So how Atiku feels, how Obi feels, it does not give any headache. If I know how they feel now, I will add more crisis for them."