Former Senator Shehu Sani has asserted that Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), owes his political success to the efforts of democracy advocates like himself and prominent lawyer Mike Ozekhome.
According to Sani, Wike’s rise from local government chairman to state governor and now minister was made possible by the relentless struggle against military rule in Nigeria.
Sani’s comments came in response to a recent remark by Wike, who questioned the significance of Sani’s contributions to Nigeria during his tenure as a senator. The exchange occurred during the Nigeria Annual Lecture and Gold Prize Award, 2024, an event celebrating 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in the country.
Speaking at the event, Sani urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians. This call to action prompted Wike to challenge Sani to detail his key achievements while serving in the national assembly.
In his response, Sani emphasized the critical role he and others played in fighting for democracy during the military era. He questioned Wike’s whereabouts during these tumultuous times, highlighting his own imprisonment in Port Harcourt as a political prisoner.
Sani said: “Nobody can demean the struggle that we did to free Nigeria from military dictatorship, Mike Ozoekhome was a patriot.
“If not for the struggle which we did to de-establish military dictatorship and establish democracy in Nigeria, people like Wike wouldn’t have become local government Chairman, governor, or minister today.
“He’s a beneficiary of the struggle, the sweat, and all we have invested in it. And at a certain time, I was in Port Harcourt prison as a political prisoner; where was he then? He is a beneficiary of the struggle to which Nigerians have dedicated and committed their time to.”