Nigerian journalism professor and public affairs analyst, Professor Farooq Kperogi, has warned that Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), may be overplaying his hand.

Kperogi made the remark in response to the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, which has created a rift between Wike, a former two-term governor of Rivers State, and the incumbent, Siminalayi Fubara.

In his weekly column on Saturday, January 10, Prof. Kperogi added that Wike risks being sidelined by the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration and could fall out with the Nigerian leader. He cautioned that the FCT minister may face a stunning political setback.

The renowned public commentator wrote:

"He (Wike) is embroiled in a fresh, high-profile intra-establishment clash with APC national secretary Ajibola Basiru, who is from Osun State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s real state of origin.

"I expect Tinubu to be next on the list. In fact, in fighting Basiru, Wike has inadvertently roped in Tinubu.

“Don’t take our support for President Tinubu for granted,” he said to Basiru.

“You have to be careful with your statements.”

"In other words, Wike is obliquely, nay explicitly, telling Tinubu that his support for a 2027 reelection is not guaranteed. It is conditional. It is contingent on reciprocity. If the president will not let him have Rivers State, he will stall the president’s reelection campaign within his sphere of influence."