Wike had questioned Obi’s commitment to national unity after the former Anambra State governor reportedly remained seated while the current national anthem was being sung but stood up when supporters rendered the country’s former anthem.
The FCT minister made the remarks on Friday at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State. The meeting was organised by the Rainbow Coalition to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.
Wike argued that a presidential candidate who disregarded the country’s national symbols could not be trusted with the responsibility of leading Nigeria.
He said, “A whole national anthem of a country is being sung, a man who wants to be President of Nigeria would disobey and sit down. And then not only that, when a different national anthem that is not being used for Nigeria was sung, he stood up.
“In a way, he does not belong to this country. In a way, he has said he does not belong to this country; that if you give him the president, he would do a different thing that will divide Nigeria.
“A man who does not believe in Nigeria, someone who derives joy in ridiculing the country by disrespecting its symbolic national anthem must not be allowed to come near the presidency of our country.”
However, the NDC dismissed Wike’s criticism, questioning his moral authority to judge the political conduct of others.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the spokesperson for the NDC National Campaign Council, Dr Chiogo Ikokwu, described the minister’s comments as ironic, given his own political activities and controversies.
Ikokwu said Wike should examine his political record before presenting himself as an authority on national unity, political tolerance and responsible leadership.
The statement read in part: “Can you imagine? If this report is true, Minister Wike needs to look in the mirror. It is extraordinary that someone whose political conduct in and outside Rivers State has been widely associated with deep divisions, political upheaval and prolonged instability, can suddenly appoint himself the moral referee of Nigerian politics.
“His role in the political controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election in Rivers, his open political manoeuvring across party lines, PDP/APC, and the confusion his actions have generated make his latest sermon particularly difficult to take seriously.
“You cannot be an arsonist in your own backyard and turn up elsewhere preaching fire safety. Minister Wike has no moral authority to lecture others on political tolerance, unity or responsible leadership. He should put his own house in order before attempting to police the conduct of others.”
The NDC also explained that the rendition of the former national anthem during Obi’s Lagos town hall meeting was spontaneous and initiated by supporters, rather than being part of a planned programme.
According to the party, the singing was neither scripted nor orchestrated by the campaign team but reflected the decision of participants at the gathering.
It further argued that another portion of the video showed the supporters singing the current national anthem, accusing Wike of selectively focusing on the incident to distract Nigerians from pressing national issues.
The party urged political leaders to direct public attention towards the economy and the hardship facing citizens rather than controversies surrounding the campaign event.
“We need to focus on the issues that matter to Nigerians in this election, the economy and the crippling hardship inflicted by the APC government,” the statement added.
