FCT Defends Wike’s Remarks as Figurative; Atiku Camp Labels Them ‘Dangerous Threat’

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has responded to backlash over comments made by its minister, Nyesom Wike, during a media engagement on Friday, amid criticism from allies of Atiku Abubakar.

At the centre of the dispute are remarks directed at television host Seun Okinbaloye. While the minister’s office maintains the statement was figurative, the opposition has characterised it as a serious threat.

In a statement on Saturday, the minister’s aide, Lere Olayinka, said the comment was not intended literally but was meant to express frustration over professional conduct.

“The minister never meant that he will shoot Seun Okinbaloye. They even spoke on phone today, and he understood what the minister meant,” Olayinka said.

He explained that the minister’s reaction stemmed from his belief that the journalist had crossed into advocacy, “descending into the political arena… instead of an interviewer.”

The FCT Administration stressed that the setting of the live broadcast made the lack of intent evident.

“The statement made by the minister was in hyperbolic context, which was clearly without intent. It was primarily using exaggeration to make a point,” Olayinka added.

He also recalled that Wike clarified during the programme that “he didn’t mean that he will carry gun and shoot the television anchor,” a clarification that reportedly drew laughter from the panel.

The administration urged Nigerians to ignore what it described as attempts to weaponise the remark for “blackmail and propaganda.”

Despite this, the Atiku Media Office condemned the statement, calling it “a disgraceful and dangerous threat” and warning of its implications for democratic norms.

“This was not a joke. It was not banter. It was a threat – clear, direct, and deeply sinister,” the office said.

It further cautioned that “when those entrusted with authority begin to speak the language of violence against the press, democracy itself is under attack.”

The opposition described the incident as part of a wider trend, arguing that “Wike’s outburst is not an isolated slip… where dissent is criminalised… and intimidation has become the default language of governance.”

The statement also questioned the safety of citizens, noting concerns that a prominent journalist could be “threatened so brazenly on national television.”

It demanded an apology from Wike to Okinbaloye and the Nigerian media, and called on the Tinubu administration to clearly distance itself from such rhetoric.

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