Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has dismissed claims made by the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, that he begged to become the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Adeyanju clarified that his engagement with Wike at the time was part of routine political consultations and not an act of desperation.
Addressing reporters during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Adeyanju responded to Wike’s remarks made a day earlier. Wike had alleged, “I saw one young man, they call him Adeyanju. He is from Kogi State. This young boy came to me that he wanted to be the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, and I said no. I said he won’t be, and he was not. I have no regret about it. He has suddenly become a civil society activist. He has no job, and that’s why he decided to turn to a civil society activist.”
The minister’s comments followed a protest led by Adeyanju, during which he represented victims of house demolitions carried out by Wike’s administration in the FCT.
In response, Adeyanju denied Wike’s claims, describing them as false and misrepresentative. “He allegedly said that I came to him, I begged him to be National Publicity Secretary of PDP. Everyone knows I resigned from politics eight years ago. And that event that he’s talking about happened before I resigned from politics,” Adeyanju stated.
He explained that his engagement with Wike was part of standard consultations with PDP stakeholders and governors during his time in politics. “I didn’t meet only Wike. I met him when I was still active in politics. I met every governor of the PDP then. I’ve never seen where consultation with party leaders is tagged begging,” he said.
Adeyanju further challenged Wike’s assertion that he rejected his request for support. “The minister never said to my face that he would not support me. In fact, when I was actively in politics, he told me twice (that he would support me), he supported me twice,” Adeyanju added.
He questioned Wike’s motives for bringing up the issue nearly a decade later. “Assuming without conceding that I even went and begged him, which is false, should he call a press conference and start crying eight years later, almost nine years later, that I came to him?”
The lawyer emphasized that his criticisms of Wike stemmed from the minister’s policies, including alleged land grabs and house demolitions in the FCT. He accused Wike of being intolerant of criticism, adding that the minister often responded poorly to being held accountable.
“Many times when I criticized him, he called me and said he did not want friendship with me again. He does not like to be criticized,” Adeyanju revealed.
He also accused Wike of vindictive behavior, citing their fallout after he opposed Wike’s support for Ali Modu-Sherif and Jimi Agbaje in the PDP. “These are the kind of people that are ruling in our country—people that should be in jail for corruption, for stealing, for electoral fraud. They are the ones who want to give lectures on morality,” Adeyanju said.
Despite their differences, Adeyanju vowed to continue holding Wike accountable, particularly for what he described as “anti-people policies” and alleged land seizures in the FCT.