George Faults Wike Abuja Residence Claim, Threatens Lawsuit
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Bode George, has fired back at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, dismissing allegations that his Maitama residence in Abuja was funded with Rivers State money and threatening to pursue legal action against the minister.
The controversy stems from a media chat Wike held in Abuja on Tuesday, during which the minister described George as the “father of corruption” and challenged him to explain the source of funds used to acquire the Maitama property. Wike also accused George of routinely branding the judiciary corrupt whenever court decisions failed to favour him.
Reacting during an appearance on TVC News on Wednesday night, George rejected the allegation outright, describing it as false and defamatory. He explained that he did not personally build the residence but purchased it through an agent from its original owner, whom he identified as a retired civil servant, insisting the property had no connection whatsoever to Rivers State government funds.
George did not hold back in his response to Wike, describing the minister’s claims as the outburst of a man who, in his view, required urgent psychiatric attention. He argued it was beneath his own standing to engage in a public exchange with someone he described as roughly the same age as his first child, before going further to allege that Wike’s estrangement from his own biological father should disqualify him from lecturing others on questions of integrity and corruption.
The PDP elder statesman confirmed he intends to institute formal legal proceedings against Wike, stating plainly that the minister’s allegations had gone too far and that he would be taking the matter to court. When asked whether the two men could still find a way to work together within the PDP, George ruled out the possibility entirely, saying Wike had gone beyond redemption in his view.
The Lagos chapter of the PDP has also weighed in on the dispute, issuing a statement in defence of George. Lagos PDP Publicity Secretary, Prince Dr Christopher Odianarewo, accused Wike of making unsubstantiated remarks against the party chieftain and described the minister’s questioning of George’s property ownership as an affront and an abuse of public office. The party noted that George had previously been cleared of separate corruption allegations relating to his tenure as Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) by the Supreme Court, and called on Wike to withdraw his claims and focus on his official responsibilities as FCT minister.
The latest clash marks a further escalation in the long-running public feud between the two prominent PDP figures, which has continued to play out amid the party’s ongoing internal leadership crisis. As of the time of reporting, Wike had not issued a fresh response to George’s threat of litigation.
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