Wike Speaks on Cold Ranks with Odili

Former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike says he no longer gets along with one of his predecessors, Peter Odili, because “there are some political differences.”

Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), stated this to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday. 

Wike served as governor of the oil-rich South-South state from May 2015 to May 2023, before being appointed minister by President Bola Tinubu.

Previously, in multiple public events, Wike has referred to Odili—the governor of Rivers from May 1999 to May 2007—as his political mentor and father.

“As it is today, politically we don’t have a good relationship,” Wike responded when asked if his relationship with Odili had become icy. Today is a non-work day.

Wike explained that “there are some political differences” as the reason for their chilly friendship. The gap between Odili and Wike may be related to the tension between Wike and Siminalayi Fubara, the current governor who is threatened with impeachment by the state House of Assembly, even if the minister did not specify what he meant by “political differences.”