Wike Claims Nigeria Was ‘Dead’ Before Tinubu, Warns Church Against 2027 Electoral Mistakes

On Sunday, July 6, 2025, at a thanksgiving service at Saint James’ Anglican Church in Asokoro, Abuja, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike declared that Nigeria was “practically dead” before President Bola Tinubu’s administration began in May 2023, citing economic mismanagement and insecurity under previous governments. Speaking after the commissioning of 16 FCT projects, Wike acknowledged ongoing challenges, including 33.9% inflation (NBS April 2025) and 2,500 terrorism deaths in Q1 2025 (ACLED), but defended Tinubu’s “difficult but necessary” decisions, such as fuel subsidy removal and naira floatation, as steps toward recovery. He urged Christians to avoid “sentimental” voting in 2027, warning that the Church nearly made a “fatal error” in supporting Labour Party’s Peter Obi in 2023, whom he accused of undemocratic practices during his eight-year tenure as Anambra Governor (2006–2014) for not conducting local government elections.

Wike criticized Obi’s democratic credentials, alleging he acted as both governor and local government chairman, and took aim at the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, including Atiku Abubakar, David Mark, and Rauf Aregbesola, for past governance failures. He highlighted the rehabilitation of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, which increased revenue from N50 million annually to N700 million in three weeks, as evidence of Tinubu’s reforms against mismanagement. Wike contrasted Rivers State’s N14 billion monthly allocation during his governorship (2015–2023) with the over N50 billion some states now receive, crediting Tinubu’s policies. He dismissed opposition claims of rescuing Nigeria, pointing to issues like the 2022 Abuja-Kaduna train bombing and oil subsidy scams predating Tinubu’s tenure.