A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has threatened to drag the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to court over allegations that his Abuja residence was acquired with funds belonging to Rivers State.

George dismissed Wike’s claims as false, insisting that the Maitama property was legitimately purchased from a retired civil servant through an agent and had no connection with Rivers State funds.

The PDP Board of Trustees member spoke while responding to remarks made by Wike during a media parley in Abuja, where the minister described him as the “father of corruption” and alleged that the Abuja house was built with Rivers State money.

Reacting, George said the accusation was baseless and challenged Wike to substantiate it in court.

“My house in Abuja was bought with funds from Rivers? How? The house was built by someone else. I bought it, and it is still there,” he said.

The elder statesman disclosed that he would institute legal proceedings against the former Rivers State governor over what he described as “thoughtless” and defamatory allegations.

“I am going to sue him to court for all these shenanigans and thoughtlessness,” George declared.

George also launched a scathing attack on the FCT minister, saying Wike “needs to be immediately taken to a psychiatric hospital” and describing it as beneath his dignity to engage in a prolonged public exchange with him.

“It is an infra dig for me to respond to a child who is about the same age as my first child,” he said.

Maintaining that he had no political or financial ties to Rivers State, George questioned the basis of Wike’s allegations.

“It’s my house. The agent got it for me, and the owner of the house was a retired civil servant. What has that got to do with Rivers State? Am I from Rivers State? Is Rivers State a bank for me to borrow money?” he asked.

George further advised President Bola Tinubu to distance himself from political allies who, according to him, rely on insults and personal attacks to defend the administration.

“It’s high time the guy in the Villa should move away from him. You don’t need him,” George said, warning that such conduct could damage the image of the Presidency and further polarise the country’s political environment.

The latest exchange followed Wike’s comments on Tuesday during a media briefing with selected journalists, where he accused George of hypocrisy over his criticism of the judiciary.

“You don’t stay in one place and start saying something that is not correct. Anytime he loses, he will be calling the judiciary corrupt, meanwhile he’s the father of corruption,” Wike said.

The minister further alleged that George’s Maitama residence was financed with Rivers State funds, declaring: “Even the house he’s staying in at Maitama, Abuja is Rivers State’s money. I say so. Let him come out and prove me wrong.”

Wike also questioned Bode George’s claim of being a founding father and the conscience of the PDP, arguing that the party had failed to record any electoral success in Lagos State under his influence since 1999.

“The same Bode George who claims to be the founding father of the PDP since 1999, the conscience of the party—what conscience does he have when the party has not won a single seat in Lagos since 1999? You are not a founding father; you are only benefiting from the political structures built by people in other states,” the FCT Minister said.