Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed recent remarks by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, describing them as unfair and rooted in personal grievances.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, August 19, Wike claimed Lawal’s disapproval of President Bola Tinubu began after he was not chosen as vice president.
“When Mr President chose his vice-presidential candidate, I was one of those Babachir Lawal visited. He came to my house in Port Harcourt. What was his anger?
“His anger was that he thought Mr President would have chosen him as the vice-presidential candidate. Having not done that, he let loose,” Wike stated.
Lawal had recently labelled Tinubu’s administration “unapproachable” and faulted its economic direction, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, which he alleged was still being secretly paid.
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In response, Wike criticised Lawal’s choice of words against the president, saying they were disrespectful.
“A man will come out on national television not to genuinely criticise what Mr President has done wrong, but to accuse him simply because he had a relationship with Mr President before,” Wike said.
He added that governance should not be measured by direct access to the president.
“When you say Mr President is unapproachable, government is unapproachable, what do you call government? Must everybody reach Mr President? If you have a problem regarding activities in the FCT, have you tried to reach out to the FCT minister?”
Although he once respected Lawal, Wike said his recent comments revealed otherwise. “I never knew that he is not a man you can take for his words,” he remarked.