The growing rift between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has deepened following the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Insider sources reveal that Wike, angered by Tinubu’s decision to overlook his preferred candidate, boycotted Thursday’s Council of State meeting in protest. Instead, he reportedly delegated the Minister of State for the FCT to represent him.
According to those familiar with the matter, Wike also reached out to some former Nigerian Heads of State, allegedly urging them not to attend the meeting — a move that further exposed the cracks within the President’s inner political circle.
Tensions between Wike and the Presidency reportedly intensified following revelations by activist Omoyele Sowore, who exposed Wike’s undisclosed real estate assets in Florida, USA.
Before the exposé, Wike had just returned from a medical trip to the United Kingdom, where he was treated for a heart infection. Upon his return, he reignited his feud with Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara, his former ally turned political rival, after successfully pushing for his temporary removal from office for six months.
However, Wike’s renewed aggression soon backfired. In one of his fiery media outbursts, he publicly threatened Sowore for labelling President Tinubu “a criminal” — a comment Sowore made in reaction to Tinubu’s remark in Brazil that “there is no corruption in Nigeria.”
Wike’s statement that Sowore was “lucky Tinubu believes in the rule of law” only fuelled further controversy. The activist retaliated by publishing detailed evidence of Wike’s hidden foreign and local assets, triggering widespread public outrage and drawing attention from within the Presidency itself.
Following these revelations, key figures within Tinubu’s circle reportedly began to question Wike’s reliability, describing him as erratic, unpredictable, and politically risky.
Wike had been lobbying hard for Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman of the Court of Appeal to be appointed as INEC Chairman. He allegedly secured security clearances for Liman and was confident Tinubu would approve the appointment.
But skepticism within the Presidency grew over Wike’s motives. Liman’s nomination was quietly dropped after intelligence reports highlighted the judge’s close ties to Wike — including a 2016 incident where Wike allegedly intervened to stop security agencies from searching Liman’s residence.
Tinubu instead settled for Professor Joash Amupitan, a legal scholar from the University of Jos, stating privately that Wike was “too unstable and untrustworthy” to influence Nigeria’s electoral leadership.
The fallout between both men didn’t stop there. Following Governor Fubara’s reinstatement, Tinubu reportedly instructed Wike to suspend his monthly media briefings, citing the minister’s confrontational tone as damaging to the administration’s image.
Wike, furious over what he saw as censorship, allegedly contacted Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, warning that silencing him would only “make Sowore too powerful.”
The remark reportedly underscored how much the activist’s revelations had weakened Wike’s influence within the government.
In a bid to contain the damage, Wike is said to have approached the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to amend his asset declaration — seeking to add the properties recently exposed in the U.S. and Nigeria. However, officials reportedly informed him that his original filings had already been forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), leaving him exposed and politically vulnerable.
Wike’s frustration is believed to have reached a peak during the latest Council of State meeting, which many former Heads of State conspicuously skipped.
Presidency insiders allege that Wike helped engineer the boycott as a form of protest against Tinubu’s decision to appoint Amupitan.
According to sources, the initial meeting agenda did not include any item related to INEC leadership. However, midway through the session, President Tinubu reportedly called on Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo to present Amupitan’s nomination for confirmation.
The sudden move caught attendees off guard, but they ultimately endorsed the appointment, effectively ending Wike’s attempt to influence the process.
The episode marks a dramatic turn in the once-strong relationship between Tinubu and Wike. What began as a strategic partnership built on political pragmatism has now deteriorated into a cold war of suspicion, rivalry, and mistrust.
With the appointment of Joash Amupitan as INEC Chairman, Tinubu has sent a clear signal that Wike’s influence within his administration is waning — and that the balance of power in Abuja may be shifting once again.
