A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has blasted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, for falsely alluding that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, is behind leaking of his alleged Abuja land grabbing deal.
Chief Eze reminded Wike that Atiku is a statesman, one of Africa’s thorough-bred politicians, and a retired Customs officer, who has never worked with the Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS).
The APC Chieftain wondered why Wike, rather than face his travail, decided to point fingers at Atiku, a non staff of AGIS, for leaking vital information in respect of the over 3000 hectares of land, he allegedly allocated to his sons.
In a statement issued in Port-Harcourt on Sunday, Eze told Wike point blank, that ‘he is presently reaping the fruit of his misdeeds’, noting that the land issue did not come as a surprise to Nigerians of sane mind.
“Has Atiku become a staff of AGIS? What has Atiku got to do with Wike’s underhand dealing in acquiring and allocating large expanse of FCT land to his children.
“In saner climes, Wike would have resigned or be sacked for this highbrow land fraud, abuse of office and public trust.
“The truth is that Wike sees himself as powerful than the President and his APC kitchen cabinet members. He sees and prides himself as Nigeria’s defacto President, and therefore, has the impetus to do whatever he likes under President Tinubu, without being questioned.
“For the FCT Minister to openly say that Atiku Abubakar is behind allegations that he allocated choice plots of land to his children in exclusive parts of Abuja, means admittance that he actually did that.
“Wike is likened to an ‘eke uke'(local dog) breed that eats a bone hung on her neck”,
he said.
The APC chieftain, in his statement, took Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, to the cleaners for daring to defend his paymaster.
Eze, a frontline loyalist of the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Rotimi Amaechi, described Olayinka’s attempt to do damage control for Wike as a feeble, tales by moonlight and futile attempt at covering a monumental national embarrassment by a serving public servant.
“What is futile blackmail? What is sponsored allegation that no land had been allocated to any of his children in the FCT”, Eze queried.
He said, “Without mincing words, Olayinka’s poor defence of Wike falls short of any test of sound reasoning and logic”, stressing that “dropping Atiku’s name was a miscalculated strategic communication aimed at gaining public sympathy over an unpatriotic act”.
According to him, “Away from the much touted President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Wike has treacherously drifted into the murky waters of renewed fraud agenda.
The APC chieftain demanded to know from Olayinka; the real owner(s) of JOAQ Farms in Bwari Area Council of Abuja; and Jordan Farms and Estates Limited; and when these companies were registered.
“Was it falsehood that over 3,822 hectares of land valued at an estimated $6.45 billion were allocated by Minister Wike to his two sons, Jordan (25) and Joaquin (23), Eze queried Olayinka and his boss.
It was the contention of Chief Eze that Wike was guilty of the land grabbing allegation in view of issues arising from the scandal and the Minister’s body language.
“You are swearing and talking from both sides of the mouth that JOAQ Farms in Bwari Area Council of Abuja; and Jordan Farms and Estates Limited do not belong to your children, yet you are victimizing an innocent staff of AGIS on grounds of suspicion that he leaked information concerning the land deals.
“If actually Wike is not paranoid over the leaked land grabbing scandal, while would police detectives arrest Mairiga Hassan Shaharu, who works in the Fresh Applications Unit of AGIS—the agency responsible for processing and verifying land ownership filings in the FCT?
“Why is the FCT Minister’s crackdown targeting low- to mid-level officials of AGIS who are uninvolved in the Wike-leak?
“At this juncture, I call on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to release Shaharu and other middle-class staff of AGIS being on Wike’s victimization radar.
“Rather than trivialize this act of notoriety by blaming Atiku, I urge Wike to clean his mess, and refrain from his holier than thou nature, cheap blackmail and eye service, all in the name of impressing and erasing any fear of suspicion and betrayal from President Tinubu”.
