By Dele Momodu
This evening, on Politics Today—the popular political program on Channels Television hosted by the ever-articulate Seun Okinbaloye—Minister Nyesom Wike once again displayed his trademark garrulity, taking it to dizzying, if not disturbing, heights. His performance, drenched in combative energy and brash vitriol, left many wondering if he had been under the influence of something stronger than mere political fervor.
Wike launched into an unprovoked tirade, savaging anyone who dares to stand against his crude brand of politics—one that continues to assault the delicate fabric of Nigeria’s hard-won democracy. Perhaps, due to youthful ignorance or selective amnesia, he cannot fully grasp the sacrifices that returned Nigeria to democratic rule in 1999—a struggle that many of us remember with bleeding hearts and proud scars.
Some years ago, following my widely viewed Instagram Live interview with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu—where Kanu harshly criticized Wike—I received a request from Wike’s camp asking for a right of reply. I agreed, as fairness demands. After granting him the platform, Wike, evidently thrilled with the exposure, invited Ovation to Port Harcourt to showcase his projects. That invitation, however, seems to have slipped from his fading memory.
In light of his reckless remarks on tonight’s program, I have formally requested a right of reply on Channels TV next Monday. I intend to expose, for all Nigerians to see—and especially for President Bola Tinubu to understand—the unpredictable and volatile cannon he has let loose on a weary populace under the guise of public service.
Minister Wike is a man in desperate need of rescue before he goes completely rogue in the public square. The sheer volume of saliva he expelled during his rant tonight could well float a canoe in the creeks of Rivers State.
One might assume he mistook me for one of the pliable journalists he often toys with when he referenced “his food” that I allegedly ate. For the record, as ‘wealthy’ as he claims to be, that food wasn’t memorable. If anything, I was the one who introduced him to the world of finer tastes—luxury champagnes, rare colognes, and elegant grooming. His ADC was frequently instructed to stash away these gifts upstairs while he summoned me each morning for carefully staged photo-ops aimed at polishing his public image.
He even once confessed how he used to watch me from a distance during my time with his former boss, the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Back then, Wike was just a background figure—a boy in the shadows. But now, as is often the case when unearned power meets unrefined character, excessive wealth has turned him into an overgrown enfant terrible.
In one of the pictures I have, you will find irrefutable evidence—bags of curated gifts, handpicked by me and generously handed over to him. I have lived and dined with the world’s high and mighty long before Wike laid hands on his first passport.
Alhamdulillah—for grace, for memory, and for the courage to speak truth to power, no matter how loud or loquacious that power may become.
PIONEER NEWS 