Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, expressed disappointment over what he described as the misrepresentation of Tuesday’s altercation with naval officers led by Lt. A.M. Yerima.
Wike faulted remarks by former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd.), who described his action as a threat to national security and an affront to President Bola Tinubu’s authority.
Addressing journalists at his Life Camp residence in Abuja, the Minister dismissed Buratai’s call for him to apologise to Lt. Yerima, insisting the former Army chief lacked the moral grounds to lecture him on decency.
He also criticised Lt. Yerima’s conduct during the confrontation, which stemmed from a disputed parcel of land allegedly linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (rtd.), declaring that the property was illegal.
Wike accused the naval officer of executing an unlawful directive in clear violation of the rule of law.
Wike said: “I read what one former Chief of Army Staff wrote. He cannot tell me of decency and he can’t teach me. This was the same man who (allegedly) directed his GOC to rig election, my election in 2019. He couldn’t rig me. He lost.
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“He told his GOC to kill me and I could not be killed. He became an agent in APC primaries to one of APC’s presidential aspirants. Look at the rank of a polling agent. He is the one commenting that the minister did this and that. I have never seen people like this.
“I have no regrets for my political opponents. I will continue to make them have sleepless nights. Whether you are in PDP, whether you are in APC, whether you are in ADC, it is not my business.
” I have no regrets supporting President Tinubu and I have never hidden my intention and I will continue to do what is right. So, if you like to write anything you want to write, as far as I know, I am standing by the side of the law. If you like, bring every ethnicity coloration, it is your business”.
Wike also blamed Lt. Yerima for the part in shoving by insisting he acted within the confines of his authority as a Minister representing President Bola Tinubu.
He said: “I mean, anybody should know. Yes, you are a young man and you are a commissioned officer. Mr man, I am a Minister and I’m representing Mr. President. That alone should have given you that decorum. But no, no you chose to challenge the Minister representing the President.
“And then you think that I am not a human being, I have no emotions. You are carrying out an illegal job. When people say, Order, do you need to carry out an illegal order? When you are an officer, you are doing something illegal. Even if it’s a legal order given to you, that job you are doing is illegal. I went there as an institution not a private individual, they arrested our officials”.
He urged all individuals, regardless of their position or status, to uphold and respect the rule of law at all times.
