Dele Momodu takes on Wike: “Too much Arrogance Oozing Out” – Questions FCT Minister’s Loyalty as Rivers Power Game Deepens

Dele Momodu takes on Wike: “Too much Arrogance Oozing Out” – Questions FCT Minister’s Loyalty as Rivers Power Game Deepens

Veteran journalist, publisher and African Democratic Congress chieftain, Dele Momodu, has launched a blistering public attack on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of excessive arrogance and openly questioning whether the former Rivers State governor is now positioning himself against an APC governor and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by extension.

Momodu’s sharp rebuke came on December 31, 2025, via his verified Instagram page, where he reacted to a viral video showing Wike addressing supporters in Rivers State with his trademark bravado and godfather posture. In the footage, Wike is seen boasting about his continued control of the state’s political direction, repeatedly asserting that he and his camp determine who rises or falls politically in Rivers.

In the video that sparked the controversy, Wike declared before a cheering crowd that his political structure still gives instructions on who to support in the state, questioned whether beneficiaries of past support had shown gratitude, and insisted that a “mistake” made in the past would soon be corrected. He also dismissed rival political movements in Rivers as artificial, claiming ownership of the “original mandate” and reminding supporters that his camp had been mobilising voters since 2023.

Momodu’s response was swift and scathing. Sharing the video, he wrote: “Too much arrogance oozing out… Are you now going to work against an APC Governor and Tinubu by extension? Simple logic…” The comment immediately ignited widespread debate across political circles and social media, with many interpreting it as a direct challenge to Wike’s loyalty and political consistency.

The intervention by Momodu cuts to the heart of the growing contradiction surrounding Wike’s current political stance. Governor Siminalayi Fubara, once Wike’s protégé and now his fiercest rival, has defected to the All Progressives Congress, the same party that controls the federal government and produced President Tinubu. Wike, despite being a serving minister in Tinubu’s cabinet, continues to speak and act as though Rivers State remains his personal political estate, openly threatening to “correct” what he describes as past mistakes.

Momodu’s question has therefore resonated far beyond Instagram. It reflects a growing unease within political circles about whether Wike’s towering ego and local power battles are now colliding with the broader interests of the ruling party at the centre. Observers are asking whether Wike can truly claim loyalty to Tinubu while simultaneously projecting himself as the ultimate authority in Rivers, even when the sitting governor now flies the APC flag.

The post has gone viral not just for its bluntness but for exposing what many see as the unresolved tension in Wike’s political identity. Once the undisputed PDP strongman of Rivers, he crossed party lines to support Tinubu and was rewarded with one of the most powerful ministerial positions in the country. Yet his rhetoric and actions continue to reflect the instincts of a regional godfather unwilling to accept diminished control.

Since Momodu’s public challenge, Wike has remained silent, a silence that has only fuelled speculation. In Nigerian politics, such quietness is often interpreted not as retreat but as calculation. Analysts believe the coming months will reveal whether Wike intends to fully align with the APC power structure or continue fighting personal battles in Rivers that could put him on a collision course with the very government he serves.

As 2026 unfolds, the question posed by Dele Momodu hangs heavily in the air: is Nyesom Wike loyal to the president who empowered him, or to the political empire he refuses to let go? In Rivers politics, and increasingly at the national level, the answer could reshape alliances, provoke fresh conflicts and determine how far arrogance can travel before it meets resistance.