The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he would have shot Seun Okinbaloye, a journalist with Channels Television, via the television screen over the presenter’s comment on the tendency of Nigeria becoming a one-party state.
Wike spoke on Friday during a media chat in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today programme focused on the leadership crisis in ADC and the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
On Wednesday, INEC announced that it would no longer recognise the factions of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by David Mark or Nafiu Bala Gombe, following its review of the court of appeal judgement.
INEC said it would abide strictly by the orders of the court of appeal in handling the leadership dispute within the ADC.
But the Mark-led faction rejected INEC’s interpretation of the appellate court ruling, accusing the electoral body of acting under external pressure.
Speaking during the Politics Today on Thursday, Okinbaloye said he was pained that the 2027 elections were looking like a contest of one political party owing to the crisis in the ADC.
He added that Nigeria is doomed democratically if the only hope of opposition — ADC — cannot contest the 2027 election.
“I’m particularly very pained because what makes the race very interesting is when it’s competitive and not when only one party stands in the middle of the ballot and we are looking for the rest of the political parties,” Okinbaloye said.
‘But we get one of them talking tonight about the state of ADC, particularly, it looks like one of the only hopes of the opposition going into 2027. If this hope is dashed, we are doomed democratically speaking.”
‘He took sides’
However, during his media chat, Wike said Okinbaloye’s comment showed that he is taking sides in the crisis rocking the ADC.
“I was surprised yesterday, thoroughly surprised. When I was watching Politics Today, Seun. If there was any way to break the screen, I would have shot him,” the FCT minister said.
“In fact, it will get to him. How can you as an interviewer say we cannot have only one party? You are an interviewer; you are now telling them your own views.
“There is nothing wrong with asking your interviewee questions. But you are now the one on national television making that kind of statement, which means you have already taken a position.”
