Ooni of Ife calls for investigation into Wike’s appointment in Tinubu’s cabinet

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has declared that the circumstances surrounding Nyesom Wike’s emergence as a member of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, despite being a staunch Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) figure, require academic investigation by political scholars.

The revered monarch made this statement at the 2025 Obafemi Awolowo University Distinguished Personality Lecture held on Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

The event had Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as the keynote speaker.

In his remarks, the Ooni did not mince words in describing Wike’s political trajectory as unusual, complex, and worthy of scholarly analysis.

He emphasized the rarity of a high-ranking PDP member serving in a pivotal role in an APC-led administration.

“For your career, I will particularly say that I give a very strong honour to the father of the nation, President Bola Tinubu,” the Ooni said.

“You belong to a different political party and yet are able to work together. You are part of this government. It’s still a mystery; I don’t even know how it happened.”

The monarch stressed that the development is unprecedented in Nigeria’s political history and should be documented and studied within political science curricula.

“For me, it is something that universities should be studying and I mean it; it’s very important,” he noted.

Oba Ogunwusi went further to commend Wike’s resilience and political agility, stating that his influence in Nigerian politics has remained strong for nearly two decades.

“Hate him, like him; what will be, will be. He (Wike) is a politician to be studied. I don’t know how he’s been actively relevant for 20 years,” he added.

Wike, a founding PDP member and former two-term governor of Rivers State, shocked many political observers when he accepted the FCT ministerial position under President Tinubu, the APC leader, in 2023.

Since then, he has shown unwavering support for Tinubu, even publicly vowing to lead his re-election campaign in Rivers State in 2027.

This move, which many interpret as political realignment, has drawn sharp criticism from PDP stakeholders who accuse Wike of undermining party loyalty for personal gain.

However, Wike has consistently argued that he is acting in the national interest.

Political analysts say Wike’s continued relevance stems from his strategic use of political capital, grassroots support, and his ability to wield influence across party lines.

The Ooni’s statement underscores growing public interest in the erosion of ideological boundaries in Nigerian politics, where loyalty often bends to power-sharing and survival instincts.

The monarch’s remarks also reflect a broader societal curiosity about how political figures navigate Nigeria’s turbulent party system, where opposition and ruling party distinctions are frequently blurred.

Observers say this phenomenon could complicate voter choices, weaken party systems, and create room for individual-driven politics over policy-based democracy.

As one of Nigeria’s most prominent traditional rulers, the Ooni’s endorsement of academic research into Wike’s political rise could spur new studies on coalition-building, defection patterns, and cross-party appointments in West Africa’s largest democracy.

The lecture event drew political elites, scholars, students, and members of the press. Wike, for his part, remained confident and composed during the lecture, ignoring direct remarks about party loyalty and instead focusing on governance in the FCT.

The political scientist community, meanwhile, has yet to issue formal responses.

However, informal chatter among scholars and analysts suggests that Wike’s unique political alignment will soon become a significant case study in Nigeria’s evolving political science literature.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook