Nyesom Wike

Ezenwo Nyesom Wike CON (born 13 December 1964) is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who has served as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory since 2023.

Wike was later appointed the Acting Minister of Education, after Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa'i was sacked but resigned before finishing his term to campaign for governor of Rivers State.

[5] Wike defeated Dakuku Peterside of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tonye Princewill of the Labour Party in the 11 April gubernatorial elections to emerge as governor.

[6][7][8][9] In March 2022, Wike declared that he will be running for the office of the president of Nigeria under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 General election,[10] he was defeated by Atiku Abubakar who won the primaries with 371 votes while Wike got 237 votes being the first runner up, during the Peoples Democratic Party presidential election primary which was held at the MKO Abiola National stadium, Abuja on 28 and 29 May 2022.

[16][17] Wike began his political career as the Executive Chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers in 1999, a position he held until 2007, after being re-elected in 2003.

Dr Dakuku Peterside of the APC was asking the tribunal to nullify the election of Nyesom Wike of the PDP who was declared winner as governor in the poll held on 11 April 2015, on the grounds that it was fraught with malpractices and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

But the then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachawa, rejected Wike's arguments and ordered that the tribunal be held in Abuja, for reason of security.

[23] Ruling on the petitioner's counsel's motion, Justice Pindiga, who granted the prayers, ordered that the court processes should be pasted on the wall of Wike's house.

According to the result declared by the Returning Officer for Rivers State, Osasere Orumwense on 13 April, Wike was awarded 1,029,102 votes, representing 87.77 per cent of 1,228,614, being the conjured number of total accredited voters.

[29] The commission's central server captured all actual validated and authenticated votes for the Rivers State elections on 11 April 2015, making fraud by manual accreditation impossible.

[32] INEC declared Nyesom Wike winner of Rivers State governorship polls on Wednesday, 3 April 2019, after suspending the process for some days.

In May 2022, he contested for the Peoples Democratic Party presidential ticket but lost to Atiku Abubakar, He also supported Sim Fubara as the PDP governorship candidate in Rivers state.

[41] Having worked against his own PDP party's candidate (Atiku) in the 2023 presidential election, Wike was rewarded with a ministerial position by Tinubu's administration (APC).