Edo Civil Society Coalition Calls On Tinubu To Suspend FCT Minister, Wike

Edo  Civil Society Coalition Calls On Tinubu To Suspend FCT Minister, Wike

By Editor 

The Edo State Civil Society Coalition for Human Rights has called for the immediate suspension of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over corruption allegations surrounding him.

The group also called on President Bola Tinubu to dissociate himself from the embattled minister, saying that it was “morally reprehensible and unconscionable” for the Presidency to continue embracing Wike despite the allegations.

In a statement on Wednesday, jointly signed by its Coordinator and Secretary General, Marxist Kola Edokpayi, and Comr. Hon. Aghatise Raphael, the coalition respectively, warned President Bola Tinubu that “shielding him (Wike) is equal to endorsing corruption at the highest level.”

“We state firmly and without equivocation that President Tinubu must immediately and publicly dissociate himself from Nyesom Wike and ordered for investigation to ascertain the verisimilitude and veracity of the allegation of corruption levelled against him as failure to do so would amount to a monumental betrayal of public trust and a desecration of the government’s professed anti-corruption posture,” the group said.

According to the group, “President Tinubu’s continued political intercourse with Wike sends a dangerous signal that corruption is not condemned and pooh-poohed but rather rewarded with proximity to power.”

The group, however, demanded for an “immediate suspension of Nyesom Wike as the Minister of FCT pending a thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation into the allegations of monumental graft leveled against him.

“A categorical pronouncement from President Tinubu affirming that no public official, regardless of political usefulness, will be shielded from scrutiny and accountability.

“And urgent intervention by anti-graft agencies — including the EFCC and ICPC — to discharge their statutory duties without fear, bias, or executive obstruction.”

The coalition warned that failure to take action would amount to a “monumental betrayal of public trust” and corrode the moral legitimacy of the administration.

“Shielding Nyesom Wike will spell political doom for the fight against corruption,” group also maintained warning that “history will not absolve any administration that chose complicity over conscience, and the electorate will not forgive the betrayal of public trust.”

“Silence, equivocation, or political protectionism at this juncture will only deepen public disillusionment, corrode the moral legitimacy of this administration, and inflame civic anger.”

They reminded that Nigerians are vigilant and the international community are watching, and posterity will be unforgiving.

“Corruption remains a malignant cancer eating away at the soul of Nigeria. Leaders who plunder the commonwealth cannot be sanctified under the guise of presidential patronage,” the statement noted.

It was reported on Tuesday that a group of Nigerian journalists led by Yinka Tella launched a petition urging the United States Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the Florida State government to probe alleged fraudulent real estate purchases made in Florida by Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The petition, initiated by Imoh Oton on the online platform Change.org, is titled “Investigate real estate fraud by Nigerian minister Nyesom Wike in Florida.”

In the petition, the journalists stressed that if Wike is found to have engaged in fraudulent activities, US authorities must take decisive action.

The petitioners said Florida must not be used as a safe haven for looted funds from Nigeria.

Earlier, human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, stated that steps were underway to secure an international arrest warrant against Wike and extradite him to the U.S. over allegations of money laundering.

Sowore had accused Wike of using stolen funds to acquire luxury properties in Florida, U.S., in the names of his children.

On Monday, SaharaReporters reported that Sowore had petitioned the Attorney General of Florida, Hon. James Uthmeier, seeking the forfeiture and prosecution of Wike over illicit property acquisitions in the U.S.

In the petition dated September 22, 2025, and signed by his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, Esq., Sowore accused Wike of secretly purchasing multi-million-dollar real estate in Florida using suspicious cash transactions designed to conceal the source of funds.

According to the petition, Wike, a former Rivers State Governor, alongside his wife, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, purchased three luxury lakeside properties in Winter Springs, Seminole County, Florida, valued at over $6 million.

The petition listed the properties as 113 Springcreek Lane, Winter Springs, FL 32708, which is a 5,000 sq. ft. residence purchased in cash for $535,000 and transferred to Jordan Wike (25); 209 Hertherwood Court, Winter Springs, FL 32708, which is a 3,401 sq. ft. home acquired for $459,157 in cash and transferred to Joaquin Wike (23); and 208 Hertherwood Court, Winter Springs, FL 32708, which is a 3,901 sq. ft. home bought for $465,000 in cash and transferred to Jazmyne Wike (20).

Sowore’s lawyers said the purchases were executed through quit claim deeds between July 2021 and September 2023 and transferred directly to Wike’s children. They argued that the cash-only acquisitions bypassed banking oversight and raised “serious money laundering concerns.”

The petition alleges that Wike failed to declare these foreign assets to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as required under the Constitution.

It further noted that his legitimate income as a public servant since 1999 could not sustain such multi-million-dollar acquisitions.

The petition argued that the transactions violated both Florida state law and U.S. federal anti-money laundering statutes, specifically citing the Florida Money Laundering Act (Chapter 896.101, Fla. Stat.), the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act, and federal laws under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956 and 1957.

Sowore also referenced the U.S. Department of Justice Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, which targets assets linked to corrupt foreign officials.