Ezenwo Nyesom WikeCON (born 13 December 1964) is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who has served as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory since 2023.[1] He previously served as the governor of Rivers State from 2015 to 2023.
In March 2022, Wike declared that he will be running for the office of the president of Nigeria under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 General election,[10] he was defeated by Atiku Abubakar who won the primaries with 371 votes while Wike got 237 votes being the first runner up, during the Peoples Democratic Party presidential election primary which was held at the MKO Abiola National stadium, Abuja on 28 and 29 May 2022. The fallout from the primary election created animosity between Wike and Atiku, he worked against the PDP in the election and on October 20, 2024 he told Atiku to pack up and go home.[11][12][13][14]
President Bola Tinubu appointed Wike as minister of the FCT on 16 August 2023, following his nomination, screening and approval by the senate.[15]
Education
Wike attended Government Secondary School Eneka in Obiakpor, Rivers State where he sat for his O'level exams before proceeding to the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUT). He obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from RSUT before proceeding to Law School in 1997. Wike holds a Master of Arts degree in Political and Administrative Studies from RSUT.[16][17]
Political career
Wike began his political career as the Executive Chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers in 1999, a position he held until 2007, after being re-elected in 2003.[18] In 2007, he was appointed as the chief of staff to the governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi.[19]
In July 2011, he was appointed as the Minister of State for Education by President Goodluck Jonathan and was promoted to Federal Minister of Education in September 2013. He stepped down as Federal Minister to contest in the 2015 gubernatorial elections in his home state, Rivers State.[20]
Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal
On 13 May 2015, the Election Tribunal for Rivers State, sitting in Abuja, commenced the hearing on the election of Wike.
Dr Dakuku Peterside of the APC was asking the tribunal to nullify the election of Nyesom Wike of the PDP who was declared winner as governor in the poll held on 11 April 2015, on the grounds that it was fraught with malpractices and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.[21]
Wike opposed the hearing of the case in Abuja, arguing that the Tribunal should be held in Port Harcourt. But the then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachawa, rejected Wike's arguments and ordered that the tribunal be held in Abuja, for reason of security. Justice Zainab also ordered that, besides Rivers, all Election Petition Tribunals for Adamawa, Borno and Yobe be held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.[22]
After failing to serve Wike with court summons, presiding Justice Muazu Pindiga approved the request by Rotimi Akeredolu, the counsel to Dr Dakuku Peterside of the All Progressives Congress, to grant an order for substituted service on the governor-elect because Wike had been evading service of court summon and other processes in the petition challenging Wike's elections. Akeredolu stated that the court bailiffs had on several occasions visited Wike's residence to effect court service on him but was on all the occasions turned back at the gate by Wike's security guards upon discovery that he was a court bailiff.[23]
Ruling on the petitioner's counsel's motion, Justice Pindiga, who granted the prayers, ordered that the court processes should be pasted on the wall of Wike's house. He said that "I have gone through the motion ex-parte and it is hereby granted; all the court processes are deemed valid." Justice Pindiga then ordered that substituted service be effected against Wike either by pasting the court process on Wike's house or at the office of the PDP secretariat in Rivers state or in Abuja.[24]
The Rivers State governorship election tribunal nullified the election of Wike on 24 October 2015. The election tribunal ordered governorship election rerun in Rivers State within 90 days immediately after the day of judgment. Wike said he would appeal the ruling of the tribunal.[25]
Discrepancy in the accredited votes in the Rivers Elections for Wike
The Election Tribunal was informed that the Independent National Electoral Commission in Rivers awarded Wike votes almost five times higher than the actual, authentic total number of voters accredited with card readers and Permanent Voter Cards which was 292,878, which was the total number of accredited voters for 11 April 2015, gubernatorial election in Rivers. The result was declared by the Returning Officer for Rivers State, Osasere Orumwense on 13 April 2015, stating that Wike was awarded 1,029,102 votes, thus winning the election.[26]
However document was signed by Ibrahim Bawa, the acting director in charge of INEC Legal Unit and Abimbola Oladunjoye, head of unit, Data Management, of the commission's Information and Communication Technology Department. According to the result declared by the Returning Officer for Rivers State, Osasere Orumwense on 13 April, Wike was awarded 1,029,102 votes, representing 87.77 per cent of 1,228,614, being the conjured number of total accredited voters.[27] But the tribunal was informed that according to INEC documents, tendered as court evidence, the total number of accredited voters in Rivers was only 292,878.[28] It was also common knowledge, however, that there was widespread malfunction of Card Readers on the Election Day prompting the extension of the election to the next day and granting recourse to the use of manual accreditation without the faulty card readers.[29]
The commission's central server captured all actual validated and authenticated votes for the Rivers State elections on 11 April 2015, making fraud by manual accreditation impossible.
In that election, only those votes captured by the central servers from the PVC-SCR are deemed accredited and valid; manual accreditation is not allowed for governorship elections.[30] The Court of Appeal has however ruled in the case of Agbaje vs Ambode that the non use of card readers is not a ground to nullify an election.[31] The River State governorship election tribunal nullified the election of Wike on 24 October 2015. The election tribunal ordered governorship election rerun in Rivers State within 90 days immediately after the day of judgment generating uproar within the country as to alleged partisanship and corruption within the judiciary.[32]
2019 Gubernatorial Re-election
INEC declared Nyesom Wike winner of Rivers State governorship polls on Wednesday, 3 April 2019, after suspending the process for some days.[33][34] Wike took his oath of office on Wednesday, 29 May 2019[35] at Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt as he commences his second term. In his address, he promised to put Rivers state first.
In May 2022, he contested for the Peoples Democratic Party presidential ticket but lost to Atiku Abubakar, He also supported Sim Fubara as the PDP governorship candidate in Rivers state.
Ministerial Nomination By President Tinubu
On 27 July 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sent Nyesom Wike's name, along with twenty seven others to the 10th Nigerian senate as ministerial nominees.[36] On 31 July 2023, Wike was screened by the senate where he declared that President Tinubu would not regret nominating him as a minister in his cabinet.[37] He is now the current Minister of the FCT.
Reforms
In line with his plans for educational reform, Nyesom Wike declared public primary and secondary education free. He disclosed this on Monday, 24 June 2019, in a meeting at the government house, Port Harcourt.[38] This was joined with complaints and appreciation; The latter from parents and former Principals and headmasters in the state. However, the Government of Wike held its ground amidst the perpetual demur until they all dissolved.
In 2019, Wike through the State Ministry of Education announced free registration for participating locals of the state in the annual JAMB examination.[39]
In 2022, he signed a measure into law that strengthens a women's right to inherit property. Upon signing the bill, he encouraged women to claim what is theirs and said they should not be afraid to do so because it is their legal right.[40]
Projects
During his second term as a governor, he kicked-off the construction of three major flyovers simultaneously in Port Harcourt.[41] The location of the flyovers are at Garrison, Rumoukoro and Artillery.[41]
Controversies
Having worked against his own PDP party's candidate (Atiku) in the 2023 presidential election, Wike was rewarded with a ministerial position by Tinubu's administration (APC).
On 27 July 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sent Nyesom Wike's name to the 10th Nigerian senate and was, on 31 July 2023, screened and ultimately confirmed as the Minister of the FCT although still a PDP member.
During his term as a governor of Rivers State and his term as FCT minister, Wike frequently abused his power to take others' land and reassigned them to cronies.[42] This often required bulldozing existing structures to make way for the new assignees.
There were reports of two hotels demolished in Rivers purportedly on Wike's orders for the alleged offence of operating in violation of COVID lockdown. [43]
Wike also has a continuing feud with his protege and successor Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, that has included insults, lawsuits and even halt in all federal payments to Rivers on Wike's behest.
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