Wike Dismisses Backlash over Comment on Okinbaloye as Politically Motivated

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said anyone familiar with his relationship with Channels Television anchor, Seun Okinbaloye, would not misread his controversial remark about shooting the journalist.

Wike, speaking in an interview with News Central on Monday, dismissed the public reaction as politically motivated and insisted the comment was a figure of speech.

” It’s really unfortunate, you know, in Nigeria, people blow everything out of context, particularly playing politics with everything.

“Anybody who knows my relationship with Seun will not begin to rant. So, as you understand, it’s a figure of speech to explain how angry I was,” he said.

The minister also criticised Okinbaloye for not approaching him directly before the matter became a public controversy.

“How could you descend so low as a journalist? Instead of you to ask questions, solicit answers from them, then you can now let the public know what is going on,” he said.

Wike added that both men had since spoken and there was no grievance between them.

“For me, I was talking to him, we have no problem, I’m sure he understands everything,” he said.

The controversy stemmed from remarks Wike made at a media parley in Abuja, where he reacted to comments Okinbaloye made on a Channels Television programme discussing the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress and its implications for opposition politics ahead of the 2027 elections.

Okinbaloye had raised concerns about the possibility of a one-party state, a position the minister criticised as inappropriate for a journalist.

Wike’s aide, Lere Olayinka, had similarly described the remark as hyperbolic, saying the minister was reacting to what he perceived as the anchor stepping into political commentary rather than neutral moderation.

Okinbaloye said on Sunday that he would not be intimidated, while acknowledging that Wike had called him to clarify that the intention was not as conveyed.

The anchor nonetheless cautioned against inflammatory language, warning that violent rhetoric was never an appropriate response to dissent in a democracy.

Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the original remark as “reckless and violent,” warning that such language from a public official could incite attacks on journalists.