Wike Attacks Turaki, Claims ‘National Security Threat’ After Reported Invitation to Donald Trump
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has condemned the call by factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Umar Turaki, SAN, urging US President Donald Trump and other Western nations to intervene in Nigeria’s political affairs.
Wike, who spoke on Wednesday when the board of the South-South Development Commission led by its chairman, Chibudom Nwuche, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, described Turaki’s remarks as reckless, inflammatory, and a direct threat to national security.
Turaki, on Tuesday, alleged that Nigeria’s democracy was under siege following the clash between rival PDP factions at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. While speaking to journalists, Turaki claimed there was an ongoing “genocide against Nigerian Christians” and appealed for foreign intervention to “save Nigeria’s democracy.”
But Wike dismissed the claims as irresponsible and dishonest, stressing that no part of Nigeria’s democracy was under attack.
“Imagine the level of irresponsibility,” Wike said. “You are calling on Donald Trump to come and save Nigeria’s democracy when you can’t obey a simple court judgment. A court tells you, ‘Don’t proceed until due process is followed,’ and you ignore it. Then you turn around and blame the government for your own impunity.”
The former Rivers State governor noted that the PDP leadership crisis was internal and self-inflicted, insisting that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had no hand in the party’s troubles.
“You cannot put your own house in order, yet you want to drag in foreign governments. What exactly is their business in your internal crisis? Our democracy is not under threat,” Wike stated.
He also faulted Turaki’s comments suggesting a genocide in Nigeria, saying such a grave allegation should not be taken lightly.
“You went on national television claiming Christians are being killed in a genocide. By implication, you are accusing the government of orchestrating it. Where are the security agencies? Why has he not been invited to present whatever evidence he claims to have?” Wike queried.
He added that comments of such magnitude should ordinarily prompt security agencies to demand clarification, warning that public figures must learn to act responsibly.
Wike concluded by urging political actors to stop trivialising national security matters in the name of partisan battles, saying Nigeria’s stability must remain paramount.