Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has mocked Aisha Yesufu over her failure to secure the FCT senatorial ticket of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Wike spoke during a luncheon organised by his political group, the Rainbow Coalition.
The remarks come days after Yesufu, in an interview on Channels Television, described the FCT minister as a presidential appointee who was not relevant to her senatorial ambition.
On Friday, Yesufu lost the NDC ticket to Amanda Pam, who had reportedly been a member of the party before the activist joined from the African Democratic Congress.
Following the outcome, Yesufu described the exercise as “a predetermined outcome dressed in procedural formalities”.
Reacting to the development, Wike said political success requires more than media appearances and public commentary.
“You saw what happened in NDC,” he said.
“There’s one woman who said, ‘Who is Wike? He is an appointee of the government.’”
The FCT minister said critics often make claims on television without testing their popularity through the electoral process.
“You speak grammar, speak grammar,” he said.
“Ordinary NDC primary. And what happened?”
Wike said the primary result exposed the difference between political commentary and political reality.
“It is easy for people to talk, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,” he said.
“When they enter those media houses, they begin to churn out data. You don’t know where it comes from.”
“Now the time for data has come. What happened? It didn’t work.”
He said the outcome showed that political influence must be demonstrated at the polls.
“The time for pontification came. What happened? It didn’t work. And it will not work,” he said.
Wike urged Nigerians to follow leaders who understand the country’s political realities and development challenges.
“Follow those who understand this country, who understand the politics, who mean well for the development of this country,” he said.
The former Rivers governor also reaffirmed his pride in his political record and influence in Rivers State.
“I stand tall to say, I’m a proud Rivers man,” he said.
“I was governor of this state. Of course, nobody would say they didn’t hear the voice of Rivers State. No way. You must hear. And they heard it.”
