By Ugo Onuoha
A Minister of Particular Concern
“What happened between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Navy Lieutenant A.M. Yerima is unfortunate. When Wike arrived at the site of the disputed land in Abuja, the officer explained that he was simply obeying lawful orders. Wike should not have exchanged words with the officer; he ought to have addressed his concerns through the officer’s superiors. He is our colleague, and he could have reached out to us to resolve whatever issue there was.
“The officer’s action was lawful—he was trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders. Therefore, the young officer merely carried out his duty, which is worthy of commendation. He did not commit any offence under military regulations. If you observe carefully, he spoke respectfully and conducted himself properly.
“There is, therefore, no offence under military law for which he should be charged. Wike should not have engaged him in an altercation, especially out of respect for the uniform he was wearing. Anyone who disrespects a soldier indirectly disrespects the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. There is, therefore, no basis for any punishment against the officer. This is not about supporting the military to act disrespectfully towards civilians. The Minister should understand that every officer has superiors.
“I gathered that he called the Chief of Defence Staff, who advised him to wait for an investigation. However, he did not wait and instead went straight to the site. As a leader, he ought to have exercised patience and waited for the outcome of the investigation. Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that an inquiry would be conducted. Yet again, he did not wait. It was supposed to be a one-day inquiry, but he chose to go there and confront them. Now that the Chief of Naval Staff has visited the area—since it involves a land dispute—the matter will be investigated to determine who owns the lawful documents. If the land has been revoked, there are established procedures to follow diplomatically.
“We [the Ministry of Defence] have not received any formal complaint from Wike, but I called him after the video went viral and advised that he should have spoken with me before going there, rather than confronting the officers directly.”
A Matter Effectively Closed
I have chosen to reproduce the words of Alhaji Bello Matawalle, the Minister of State for Defence, because of what they represent. Although he mentioned the need for further investigation, the tone and tenor of his statement suggest that the matter is effectively closed—and the naval officer has nothing to worry about. Lt. Yerima, by every indication, acquitted himself well. He was professional and measured in his conduct during that very public confrontation with a “super minister” known for his loquacity.
To reinforce the sense that the matter is closed, one only needs to recall the words of the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who stated that his ministry and the armed forces “will always protect our officers on lawful duty.” Badaru added: “We will not allow anything to happen to him so far as he is doing his job, and he is doing his job greatly well.” The defence minister made this statement during a ministerial briefing for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Abuja. Let that sink in.
You may call it esprit de corps, but several retired generals from both the North and the South—including former Chiefs of Defence Staff and Army Staff, Generals Lucky Irabor and Tukur Buratai—have spoken in Yerima’s defence. They even called for a public apology from Wike to both Yerima and the Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Tinubu, for dishonouring a military officer commissioned by the President himself.
Lawyers, Silence, and Political Optics
Notable voices have weighed in on the Wike–Yerima confrontation over the disputed plot of land in Abuja last Tuesday. Some are lawyers—senior and junior—while others are political commentators and public intellectuals. A few have argued in favour of Wike, citing the 1999 Constitution (as amended), but the majority have faulted him, emphasizing due process, the rule of law, and the impropriety of resorting to self-help, as appeared to be the case here.
As usual, the legal community has been divided—lawyers seldom agree on anything, even when the law seems straightforward to the “unlearned.” For most of the past week, they have been doing what they do best: lawyering. Their disputations may be intellectually stimulating, but one must not take them too seriously. Often, their arguments are shaped by convenient partisanship masquerading as constitutional fidelity.
By the way, has anyone noticed the deafening silence from Wike’s colleagues in the Federal Executive Council? Nearly fifty cabinet members, yet not one has publicly spoken in his defence. Does this silence reflect how they truly regard the Minister? As for President Tinubu, who appointed Wike “on our behalf,” the Minister may well be beyond reproach or removal—for obvious political reasons.
The Politics of 2023 and the Future of 2027
Wike appears untouchable—because of the past (2023) and the future (2027). President Tinubu, ever the political strategist, prioritizes electoral victory by any means necessary—the Machiavellian creed that the end justifies the means. And Wike fits perfectly into that school of thought.
Tinubu “discovered” Wike in 2023, when the latter was nearing the end of his governorship of oil-rich Rivers State. Having fallen out with his own party, the PDP, Wike was eager to prove his relevance. Tinubu needed a foothold in the Niger Delta and, by extension, the national electoral map. In that year’s presidential election, Wike reportedly “delivered” Rivers State to Tinubu—an opposition candidate—in defiance of his own party’s standard-bearer, Atiku Abubakar.
An APC governor from the North, astonished by Wike’s performance, allegedly remarked that his party merely begged for 25 percent of the votes but received an overwhelming—and inexplicable—victory. Unsurprisingly, the PDP still won the subsequent governorship election by a landslide, demonstrating the complex web of political transactions that define Nigerian elections.
In essence, Wike paid with the votes of Rivers people for his current position in a supposedly opposition-led federal government. That, in part, explains his “untouchable” aura. He remains a crucial asset for the 2027 elections—and the President knows it.
The Rivers Factor and a Trail of Conflict
Wike has long been a person of concern throughout his political career—from his days as Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, to Minister, to Governor, and now to FCT Minister. Since assuming office in August 2023, controversies have dogged both his official and personal conduct.
He installed Siminalayi Fubara as his successor in Rivers State but soon fell out with him. Earlier this year, he was linked to political violence that led to a temporary declaration of emergency in the state, suspension of all elected officials—including the governor and lawmakers—by President Tinubu. The crux of the matter was political control. Wike openly claimed he nominated all elected officials, purchased their nomination forms, and installed them in office. The implication: Rivers State belongs to him.
A chastened Fubara has since been reinstated under conditions widely reported to include a promise not to defect to the APC as its leader and to forgo a second-term bid.
Throughout his political journey, Wike has sparred with nearly everyone who once aided his rise—from former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, to his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi. His rift with Atiku Abubakar and the PDP leadership over the 2023 presidential ticket further cemented his image as a combative political loner.
On Saturday, he and his loyalists were reportedly expelled from the PDP—a move he predictably dismissed with scorn. Wike is, as the Igbo say, an ikiri—a tenacious creature that never lets go once it bites. But the real casualty may be the PDP itself, now adrift and internally fractured.
A court ruling against holding the party’s Ibadan convention underscores how the PDP’s legal and political machinery remains compromised. In Abuja, many judges are whispered to be “Wike’s judges,” highlighting his alleged influence over the judiciary.
Money, Power, and the Capital Territory
Wike’s public persona is equally polarizing. His frequent, combative media chats—lavishly funded from the FCT’s coffers—have become theatrical displays of arrogance. Barely two months after his appointment, he reportedly secured presidential approval to exempt the FCT from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy, giving him free rein over the territory’s internally generated revenue—beyond public scrutiny.
Allegations have since swirled around him: the revocation and reallocation of prime land to cronies and family members, misuse of public resources (including taking his children on official foreign trips), and failure to fully declare assets, notably properties in the United States allegedly registered in his wife’s and children’s names. He has also been accused of using public venues for partisan political events, including hosting a factional PDP meeting at the FCDA conference hall. Wike, for his part, has strenuously denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
A Dangerous Moment for Civil–Military Relations
The Wike–Yerima spat, however, carries deeper implications—especially against the backdrop of an alleged coup plot reportedly involving northern military officers. Although the government insists the arrests were disciplinary, many Nigerians remain skeptical.
The vehement defence of Lt. Yerima by northern political figures, including the Defence Ministers, raises its own concerns. And then came the cryptic post from the Nigerian Defence Headquarters’ X (formerly Twitter) account, in bold uppercase letters:
“IT IS AN HONOUR TO SERVE IN THE NIGERIAN MILITARY. UNSHAKEN. UNBENT. UNBROKEN.”
Make of that what you will.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly is reportedly considering legislation to make the military answerable not only to the President but to all tiers of civilian authority.
In a manner of speaking, may Wike not become Nigeria’s Achilles’ heel in this fragile and fractious democracy of twenty-six years.
