The Renewed Hope Movement of Nigeria has called for national concern and objective scrutiny of the alleged assassination attempt on Lt. A. M. Yerima, an officer said to have recently had a confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike.
Amb. Yusuf Kanhu, National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Movement of Nigeria, in a statement made available to Daily Post in Kaduna on Monday, noted that the alleged assassination attempt surfaced, triggering a wave of political interpretations and speculations.
According to Amb. Yusuf Kanhu, “This sudden twist must not be divorced from the larger political climate currently unfolding in the country.”
He lamented that the timing of the incident emerges at a period when many political actors, particularly from sections of the northern elite, are intensifying calls for the removal of Barr. Nyesom Wike from office, saying that it raises concerns about a pattern as a calculated political orchestration or a grand northern agenda seeking to reassert control over the Federal Capital Territory.
Kanhu observed that from the inception of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, loud voices from these circles vehemently opposed the appointment of Barr. Wike as FCT Minister, stressing that these voices advanced the notion, wrongly and dangerously, that Abuja leadership is an exclusive preserve of one region and one religious identity.
Kanhu stressed, “That this mentality is divisive and detrimental to national unity. The outcry intensified after the Minister’s engagement with the State of Israel regarding a space for an embassy in Abuja. Some elements escalated their hostility, attempting to frame his actions as a deviation from past regional and religious expectations.”
The coordinator stated that it revealed deeper political motives rather than genuine national interest.
According to him, the Federal Capital Territory under Wike has witnessed transformational work, restored order, strengthened urban management, improved infrastructure, and reshaped Abuja into a proper capital city.
He lamented, “Yet the effort to push him (Wike) out of office has grown more aggressive, echoing a long-standing resistance to change. No region or group has a birthright claim to the leadership of the FCT.”
Kanhu insisted that Nigerians must reject such entitlement thinking.
He warned that it is premature and misleading to present the alleged attack as a political plot linked to the FCT Minister without credible investigation.
He further noted that “the convergence of events, the escalating media frenzy, and orchestrated calls for Wike’s removal indicate that something deeper is unfolding behind the scenes.”
Kanhu stated that Nigerians are watching closely “the controversial removal of the former Chief of Defence Staff,” saying that attention has shifted to the FCT Minister, and cautioned that this emerging pattern fuels fears that certain forces aim to weaken or eliminate southern Christian figures from key positions, reinforcing allegations of systematic exclusion.
The Renewed Hope Movement of Nigeria, therefore, urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to note the recent remarks by former United States President Donald Trump on Nigeria and ensure that no internal political crisis or targeted exclusion gives room for Nigeria to be portrayed or categorized internationally as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
The statement noted, “If these perceptions grow unchecked, the Tinubu administration may face the same elite sabotage and political gang-up that derailed former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.”
