Frank to Tinubu: Drop Wike now over $6m U.S. mansions

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, yesterday asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over allegations of secretly acquiring multimillion-dollar properties in Florida, United States.

The call came after rights activist Omoyele Sowore, through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, petitioned Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, accusing Wike and his wife, Justice Eberechi Wike of the Court of Appeal, of purchasing three lakeside homes in Seminole County worth over $6 million between July 2021 and September 2023.

According to the petition, the properties—113 Springcreek Lane, 209 Hertherwood Court, and 208 Hertherwood Court—were acquired in cash and later transferred to Wike’s children, Jordan, Joaquin, and Jazmyne, through quitclaim deeds.

The filing alleged that the “cash-only acquisitions and immediate transfers” pointed to money laundering and noted that the assets were not declared to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau.

The petition also urged U.S. authorities to probe the transactions, seize the assets if confirmed illicit, and place visa restrictions on Wike, while copying the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria.

Although Wike denied the claims, Frank accused President Tinubu of protecting the minister for political reasons ahead of 2027, warning that such selective justice could erode public trust.

He said the President wasted no time in suspending former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, over what he described as “less serious” issues, yet had remained silent on Wike despite “glaring evidence” reported by credible platforms.

Frank also berated Tinubu’s handling of the Rivers political crisis, noting that while Governor Siminalayi Fubara and state lawmakers were threatened with sanctions, Wike was spared.

“The President must reject political expediency and act in the interest of Nigeria’s image and governance integrity. Shielding Wike only tells the world that some officials are above the law,” he said.