Veteran journalist and publisher of Ovation magazine, Mr. Dele Momodu, on Monday, alleged that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, suffers from drinking problem, which has significantly affected his conduct in public and private.
He went on to advise President Tinubu to drop Wike from his 2027 re-election plans.
Momodu made this allegation while featuring as a Right-of-Reply Guest on Channels Television Politics Today, where he reacted to Wike’s criticisms of opposition figures and questioned the minister’s fitness for public office.
Momodu claimed that Wike owed much of his public polishing to the efforts of media professionals and close aides who helped improve his image over the years, expressing regret that these media handlers’ efforts were often undone by the minister’s alleged excessive consumption of alcohol.
Momodu alleged: “Mr Nyesom Wike benefited immensely from my talents and from the pedigree of the Ovation Media Group.
“We cleaned him up, You know they say sometimes you can take a man out of the bush, but you cannot take the bush out of the man. We worked on Wike and he was happy.
“Every morning, when I am in Portharcourt, he would ask me to come to his house. We made sure he dressed up properly.
“We even did a bit of speech therapy, telling him how to speak to people.
“But he had one major problem. That major problem was too much alcohol. And he takes it as early as possible in the morning.”
He accused the FCT Minister of appearing “soaked in esoteric spirits” during a recent appearance on the same television station.
“What I saw on display last Friday on your show (speaking to Seun Okinbaloye) showed a man absolutely soaked in esoteric spirits. A man who was on a different planet. He was no longer on our planet. Yes, I said it,” he stated.
The veteran journalist and politician further described Wike as a man who uses sycophancy and charm to get what he wants from powerful figures, but makes a quick u-turn when they are no longer in need.
“When Wike needs you, when Wiké needed, Dr. Odili, he was very meek. When he needed Dame Patience Jonathan, he was very meek. If Wiké meets you, he will do anything in this life, to please you” he said.
Momodu also claimed that a former president had warned him not to waste his money contesting the PDP primary because Wike had allegedly raised the delegate price tag to $30,000 each, making the race unaffordable for honest contenders.
Responding to criticisms from Wike about the credibility of opposition leaders, Momodu argued that moral purity is not a requirement for effective leadership, but competence and the ability to manage people and resources.
“Mr. Wike did not know what he was talking about. There is no nation that is governed by saints. Nations are governed by performers.
“Leadership is not about politics. It is about managing people and resources,” Momodu said.
He defended former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, describing them as experienced managers of people and resources with proven track records.
“If you look today, you want to tell me that Peter Obi has not managed people and resources?
“You want to tell me that Atiku Abubakar has not managed people and resources? I mean, that would be unfair,” he said
Momodu therefore advised President Tinubu to drop Wike from his political plans, saying, “my appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is that no matter what you are expected to gain from Wiké in 2027, Wiké is not the kind of character you should promote.”
