WHY I REFUSED TO GO TO NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AFTER TWO TERMS AS RIVERS GOV – WIKE

October 31, 2026 • Dons Eze • 1 min read

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, has revealed what he claimed was the reason he did not contest for the Senate after completing his second term as governor of Rivers State.

Speaking at the commissioning of a pedestrian bridge at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre in Abuja on Friday, Wike disclosed that he turned down the opportunity to become a lawmaker because the position would limit his freedom to express his opinions.

He said, “Many governors today, when they are done, they want to go to the National Assembly, but I said that I won’t go. They asked me why, and I said I would be prevented from speaking my mind.

“Since I won’t be able to speak my mind, there is no need for me to go there. That is true. Everybody has forgotten what this country was before now.”

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.