The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a blistering verbal assault on Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), declaring him “too stingy” and fundamentally unfit to govern the country.
​Wike made the scathing remarks on Saturday morning, October 24, 2026, while addressing a gathering of political leaders, traditional rulers, and community stakeholders during a civic reception at the Bonny Civic Centre in Bonny Local Government Area, Rivers State.
​Taking direct aim at Obi’s widely publicized modest lifestyle, the FCT Minister mocked the former Anambra State governor’s habit of carrying his own luggage and framed his personal austerity as extreme stinginess rather than genuine humility.
​”As a former governor, you cannot be so stingy that you cannot even employ a personal assistant who will carry your bag. You want to show everyone that you carry your own bag. We don’t want such a stingy person as a president,” Wike declared to the cheering crowd.
​Wike further dismissed Obi’s frequent public appearances, including visits to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and purchasing roadside snacks, as calculated political stunts designed to deceive gullible voters ahead of the 2027 presidential election. He maintained that Obi did not demonstrate such extreme frugality during his eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra State.
​Responding to the criticism during a press briefing held at 3:30 PM at the NDC National Headquarters in Abuja, the Director of Media and Publicity for the NDC Presidential Campaign, Yunusa Tanko, dismissed the minister’s remarks as “distractions from a failing political class.”
“What Mr. Wike derides as stinginess is the exact fiscal discipline and prudent resource management that Nigeria urgently requires to curb systemic waste and corruption,” Tanko stated.
“The FCT Minister should focus on his ministerial duties in Abuja rather than engaging in cheap, personal insults against a presidential candidate whose integrity remains unimpeachable,” he added.
​The public feud highlights the escalating political tension and sharp exchanges between key political figures as the country edges closer to the 2027 general election cycle.
