Foundation Demands Apology, Condemns Wike over Alleged Threat to Journalist Seun

• APC chieftain alleges opposition parties politicising FCT minister’s comment

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt and Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

Glide Media Foundation called for immediate and unreserved apology from Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over what it described as reckless and alarming threat directed at journalist Seun Okinbaloye.

But a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Princewill Dike, accused opposition political parties of playing politics with the “shoot” comment used by Wike during a media chat. 

In a statement by Executive Director, Glide Founda-tion, Arabinrin Aderonke, the foundation said such rhetoric was dangerous and amounted to a direct affront to press freedom and democratic principles.

It stressed that it was unacceptable for any public official to resort to threats, particularly against members of the media.

The organisation said journalists, as members of the fourth estate, played a critical role in holding power to account and informing the public, adding that they should not be treated as adversaries of the state.

“Journalism is not a crime, and no journalist should be threatened, harassed, or intimidated for carrying out their professional duties,” the statement read.

The foundation warned that such comments, if left unchecked, could set a troubling precedent and embolden further attacks on press freedom, thereby undermining Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

It urged relevant authorities to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of media practitioners across the country, insisting that those who attempt to erode press freedom must be held accountable.

The group reiterated its demand for a public apology, emphasising that safeguarding journalists is essential to the sustenance of democracy.

But Dike accused opposition political parties of playing politics with the “shoot” comment by Wike.

In a chat with journalists in Port Harcourt, yesterday, Dike said Wike’s metaphorical comment was twisted out of context by desperate political opponents.

He claimed, “I view with concern the deliberate misrepresentation of a light-hearted remark made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, by frustrated political actors desperate to score cheap points against the administration of Bola Tinubu.”

The Port Harcourt-based lawyer faulted the Atiku Abubakar Media Office for elevating what he described as “clearly a figure of speech made in a conversational media setting, into a narrative of violence and authoritarianism”.

Dike said, “No reasonable person expects that anyone could ‘shoot’ another through a television screen. Such exaggeration only exposes the weakness of their argument.

“The comment in question bears all the hallmarks of casual political banter—something not uncommon in Nigeria’s vibrant and often animated public discourse. To now recast it as a literal threat is to wilfully distort reality for partisan advantage.

“It is ironic that those who now cry wolf over supposed ‘violent rhetoric’ are themselves engaged in a campaign of misinformation aimed at discrediting public officials and undermining confidence in democratic institutions.”

The APC chieftain stated, “Let it be clearly stated, there was no threat, real or implied, against Seun Okinbaloye or any member of the Nigerian media. What exists, instead, is a calculated attempt by opposition elements to weaponise humour and turn it into controversy.

“This pattern of sensationalism reflects a broader strategy by critics of the Tinubu administration to manufacture crises where none exists.

“Unable to engage substantively on policy or performance, they resort to amplifying trivialities in hopes of misleading the public. Such gimmick cannot earn them votes. No.”