The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday defended his recent meeting with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, insisting that he does not practise “politics of enmity”.
Speaking during an inspection of ongoing road projects in Karu, Apo-Karshi and Kubwa, Wike dismissed speculations surrounding the visit, describing it as a normal interaction between political associates and former colleagues.
The minister said he owed no one an explanation over his private associations, stressing that politicians from opposing parties should not be treated as enemies.
Responding to questions from journalists over the absence of details about the meeting, Wike said people were free to hold whatever opinions they wished, adding that his focus remained on delivering results in office rather than responding to political perceptions.
According to him, the APC chairman had made several attempts to see him officially without success, prompting him to personally visit Yilwatda at his residence to hear him out, insisting that there was nothing unusual about the gesture.
“Did I go there for any meeting? I mean, why would I tell you about my private life? ” the minister asked. “If I come to visit you to have a drink with you, will I tell the whole world that I’m going there to have a drink with you?”
Wike maintained that every individual has the right to freely associate with others irrespective of political affiliation, warning against turning politics into personal hostility.
“So if I see any APC person on the road, I shouldn’t talk to the person? Or if any PDP person is seen by an APC person, the APC should not relate with the person simply because we are playing politics?” he queried.
The minister reminded reporters that he and Yilwatda had previously worked together in government before the APC chairman assumed his current position.
“Don’t also forget that he was a minister. We were all colleagues before he left for the chairmanship of APC. So what I should do, if I see him, is hide? And if he sees me, he should run away so people will not say something,” Wike stated.
He insisted that public criticism or political interpretation of the visit would not distract him from his responsibilities as FCT minister.
“People should continue to say whatever they want to say. What is important is what I am doing, whether I have achieved results or whether I haven’t achieved results,” he said.
Wike explained that as a serving minister, many people regularly seek meetings with him for different reasons, making it difficult at times to attend to everyone immediately.
“I am a minister, so many people come to my office for one thing or another. So many people. And if he has come so many times and he couldn’t get me, I said, ‘Okay, don’t bother; I will come and see you. Let me hear what you want to say.’ What’s wrong with that?” he added.
The minister also dismissed concerns about public perception, stressing that his priority was carrying out the mandate assigned to him and satisfying the expectations of his appointor.
“Whatever anybody wants to think, I don’t care about what people say. What’s important to me is what I’m doing for my people and the job assigned to me to do,” Wike said.
He added that as long as he was performing his duties diligently and achieving results, opinions from critics or political observers would remain secondary.
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