Speaking on Monday during his monthly media briefing in Abuja, Wike said governance cannot be approached with avoidance or comfort-seeking attitudes, insisting that only those prepared for sustained pressure are suited for national leadership.
He said:
“Peter Obi is like food is ready, ‘mama put’. I don’t want struggling in this country. There are challenges. You must have the capacity to face those challenges.”
Wike maintained that leadership is defined by resilience rather than criticism from the sidelines, adding that those who aspire to govern must be prepared for opposition and hardship.
He also drew from his experience in the Peoples Democratic Party, recalling internal disputes and pressure from colleagues to defect. According to him, he chose to remain in the party despite political tension.
He said:
“You saw in PDP, all the governors, I said I will not leave this party. They had money, yes, but it’s not money. I said I was not going to leave, rather you will leave. Have I left? Have you not left?”
Wike added that staying through internal conflict was a deliberate test of political stamina rather than influence or persuasion.
He also referenced criticism he faced after becoming FCT minister, saying public attacks did not distract him from his duties.
“That’s what makes you a leader. That’s what makes you a man. Leadership is not bashing you. That’s not leadership. You remember when I came here as a minister, there was nothing I did not, no abuse I did not get,”
He said the experience reinforced his view that leadership is proven under pressure, not in comfort.
