Put Wike out of his misery, Odinkalu tells Tinubu
By Jeffrey Agbo
Prominent rights lawyer and public commentator, Chidi Odinkalu, has called on President Bola Tinubu to sack the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, accusing him of corruption, abuse of office, and addiction to alcohol.
In a strongly worded statement on Sunday titled “It’s time for President Bola Tinubu to put FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, out of his misery”, Odinkalu alleged that the FCT minister is unfit for public office, citing multiple claims of electoral violence, looting and judicial corruption.
Odinkalu said he was compelled to respond after reading what he described as “an emission on multiple platforms by the official spokesperson of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, which concatenates a desperate body of inanity, fantasy, and a generous dose of idiocy about me.”
He added that, despite the attack, he remained “flattered that my life preoccupies the highest levels of Nigeria’s government,” but described the episode as “a total waste of public resources.”
The former National Human Rights Commission chair accused Wike of neglecting his duties as FCT minister, saying the city is “overwhelmed by the stench of human faeces occasioned by the collapse of the sewage system.”
“Yet, I distract him,” he added sarcastically.
Odinkalu listed several serious allegations which, he argued, should disqualify Wike from public service. According to him, Wike faces “serious and well-founded accusations of habitual use of criminal violence to pervert the outcome of elections in Nigeria; looting of public assets in his various political roles at the State and federal levels, including as Governor and as Minister; laundering assets from Nigeria for the acquisition of luxury real estate in Florida in the USA; non-compliance with the asset declaration laws in Nigeria in relation to his unlawfully acquired and looted assets; and chronic and criminal corruption of every level of the judicial system from the lowest to the highest courts in Nigeria.”
Odinkalu argued that “each of these should ordinarily be enough to preclude Mr. Wike from public office. Together, they should ensure that no serious government could have anything to do with him besides asking him to clear his name (if he has any).”
The activist accused Wike of using his political influence to interfere with Nigeria’s justice system. He alleged that the minister has “parlayed that corrupt record into purchasing a seat for life on the Body of Benchers (BoB),” describing the development as “an indelible blot on what is supposed to be a body of legal practitioners of the highest distinction in the country.”
He further claimed that Wike attempted to use the BoB to persecute him, adding that the issue is now “under examination by the UN Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite.”
Odinkalu further accused Wike of misusing public resources to fund an alleged drinking habit.
“Mr. Wike has also used public assets to sustain a habit of dependence on expensive alcoholic beverages which have manifestly become a danger both to his wellbeing and to the public good,” he wrote.
He urged the minister to seek help, saying: “Even now, it is not too late for Mr. Wike to seek and receive the attention he desperately needs for unhealthy addiction to alcoholic beverages.”
Odinkalu’s statement ended with a direct appeal to President Tinubu to relieve Wike of his duties.
“For that to happen, however, Mr. Wike must quit and vacate the high office he currently holds. And if he chooses not to, the President should, as an act of compassion, take immediate steps to put him out of his misery,” he wrote.
