Wike accuses opposition of fueling Trump’s genocide claim

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused opposition leaders of orchestrating the recent Christian genocide allegation against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing it as a politically motivated attempt to destabilise the country.

Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Monday, Wike alleged that the opposition deliberately promoted the claim, which was later echoed internationally, including by former U.S. President Donald Trump, to sow division among Nigerians.

“In 2015 under Jonathan, people capitalised on this kind of thing to get power,” Wike said, arguing that the same tactics were being repeated ahead of the 2027 general election. When asked directly if he believed the opposition was behind the allegation, he replied, “It’s very obvious.”

The former Rivers State governor said the political opposition had grown increasingly desperate following what he called the “collapse” of their political base under President Tinubu’s leadership.

“The problem we have today is that, by Mr President’s nature of politics, you can see the collapse of the opposition,” he said.

Wike claimed that some politicians were exploiting religion to create tension and weaken national unity, noting that their ultimate goal was to undermine public confidence in the administration.

“There are so many undercurrents going on. The opposition has seen that, with the way it is, no party is prepared to challenge the President’s return to power. What do we do? Should we allow him to just go in like that without challenges? We must do something,” he said.

“This is politics taken too far,” he added, as diplomatic tension continues to rise between Nigeria and the United States following Trump’s remarks threatening possible military action over alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria.