By Pascal Ibe
Claim
A Facebook page claimed that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike threatened to resign if President Bola Tinubu fails to protect him amid the ongoing feud between him and Governor Sliminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Verdict
This claim is FALSE. Credible records show that Wike did not make such comments recently.
Full Text
Amid the ongoing political tension in Rivers State between Wike and Governor Fubara, since November last year, some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have called for the resignation of Wike as minister.
The call followed a warning by Wile to the APC secretary, Ajibola Basiru, to steer clear of Rivers State politics.
Wile and Fubara had been in a protracted political feud shortly after the end of the six-month emergency rule imposed in Rivers by Tinubu in March 2025.
The reignited tensions in the oil-rich state followed accusations from Wile and his loyalists in the Rivers State House of Assembly that Fubara reneged on the agreement reached between him and the FCT minister, which Tinubu supervised in June last year.
Since this year, Wile had during his various tours in 22 of 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers, made it clear that Governor Fubara, who was first elected in 2023 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, but defected to the APC in December, last year, will not go for a second term in 2027.
As the political crisis between Wike, his allies in the state assembly, and Fubara persists, a barrage of misinformation relating to the matter has been flying around.
Regarding this, a Facebook page, GistMakers Fanzone, has claimed that Wike threatened to resign if the president could not protect him.
The claim reads, “BREAKING NEWS!!!
“I’ll resign if Tinubu can’t protect me!”
Wike cries out, 😭😭😭😭
“FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has raised alarm over rising attacks on his Person and government officials working with him, saying he might resign if President Tinubu fails to ensure his safety.
“Wike lamented that officials are being beaten up, calling the situation “unacceptable.”
“It will be recalled that a junior Army officer resisted Wike from carrying out his plans of ceasing the land belonging to a senior military officer.
Comments from the post showed that people already agreed or believed that the claim was true. So FACTWATCH Nigeria decides to run a check on it.
Verification
First, after his tours in Rivers State, between Christmas and early January, the only public appearance Wike made was on 14 January, when he presided over the first 2026 meeting of the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA).
During the FCTA meeting, matters relating to the claim were not discussed.
There is no reputable media organization in Nigeria that recently confirmed the claim to be true.
Reacting to calls for his resignation, Wike said, “It is within the right of President Tinubu to do so if he so wishes.
He said that Tinubu knows his worth and, as such, does not need anybody to tell him what to do.
His face-off with a naval officer last year.
FACTWATCH Nigeria discovered that the Facebook page that published the claim recycled the comments of the FCT minister after his confrontation with a Naval Officer, Yerima Ahmed, in November 2025, to mislead many Facebook users.
The confrontation with the naval officer was over a disputed piece of land allegedly owned by Awwal Zubairu Gambo, a former chief of naval staff.
During the matter in November, Wile, for instance, while responding to criticisms over his decision to personally visit the site, said he could not remain passive while government workers were “being attacked”.
“How can I sit as a minister when government officials are being attacked and beaten up — officials at the level of directors? And I’ll just sit in my office doing what?” Wike asked.
However, there was no time threatened to resign if Tinubu failed to protect him.
Lastly, the claim was too far from the truth, as it was poorly written.
Conclusion
There was no time, Wike threatened to resign if Tinubu did not protect him.
