The Peter Obi Media Office has accused the Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, of using their public positions for partisan political confrontations and attacks against opposition figures.
The office described the ministers’ conduct as disturbing, alleging that they were treating the authority entrusted to them by Nigerians as personal property to be deployed against political opponents.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its spokesperson, Idris Zekeri Jnr., the media office questioned what it described as the growing use of public office for political intimidation, personal vendettas and narrow partisan interests.
It insisted that government ministers should not act as political enforcers, stressing that public institutions were established to serve Nigerians rather than advance the interests of individual politicians or political organisations.
“A government minister is not a political warlord. Public office is neither a private arsenal nor are Nigeria’s state institutions extensions of any politician’s personal political organisation,” the statement said.
The office also faulted what it described as attempts to portray partisan political conduct as patriotism, arguing that genuine patriotism should be demonstrated through service, integrity, respect for the rule of law and commitment to citizens’ welfare.
It maintained that no individual or political organisation had an exclusive claim to patriotism, urging Nigerians to distinguish loyalty to a political establishment from commitment to the nation.
The Obi media office expressed concern that senior public officials appeared more focused on political disputes than on addressing the country’s pressing challenges, including poverty, insecurity, unemployment and the rising cost of living.
It said Nigerians entrusted public institutions to government officials to serve the country, not to use them as instruments of political conflict.
The statement further reminded the ministers that public office was temporary, while the consequences of its abuse could have lasting effects on democratic institutions.
It called on Wike and Keyamo to demonstrate accountability, restraint and respect for democratic principles, adding that Nigeria needed public servants and nation-builders rather than political combatants.
“Patriotism must be demonstrated through service to the people, not manufactured through partisan propaganda,” the statement added.
