Northern group defends Wike, faults critics over media chat remarks
The Arewa Youth for Peaceful Co-Existence has risen in defence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, condemning what it described as a wave of “misconceived
- By AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna
The Arewa Youth for Peaceful Co-Existence has risen in defence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, condemning what it described as a wave of “misconceived facts and biased views” trailing his recent media chat.
The group, under the leadership of its National Coordinator, Hon. Haruna Bature, expressed concern over what it termed a growing campaign of attacks against the minister, warning that such actions were capable of misleading the public and heating the polity unnecessarily.
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Bature said that although the organization would ordinarily have ignored the criticisms, it decided to respond to “educate idle minds and mischief makers,” allegedly spreading alternative narratives about an exchange between Wike and media personality Seun Okinbaloye.
He described the controversy as overblown, insisting that the interaction between the minister and the journalist had been misrepresented by individuals pursuing narrow political interests rather than the collective good of the nation.
The group further alleged that many of the attacks were driven by politicians seeking cheap popularity, accusing them of orchestrating campaigns of calumny, blackmail, and distortion of facts to undermine the minister’s reputation.
According to Bature, such actions reflect what he called a “pull-him-down syndrome,” warning that the trend of deliberate misinformation and character assassination could erode public trust and distract from governance.
He added that both Wike and Okinbaloye had since resolved any misunderstandings, noting that their communication had put to rest the issues arising from the media chat, and urging Nigerians to disregard what he described as politically motivated narratives.
