The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has questioned the credibility of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of making inconsistent promises and frequently changing his position.
Wike made the remarks on Tuesday during the unveiling of candidates endorsed by his Rainbow Coalition for the 2027 general elections in Rivers State. The event was held at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt.
The gathering attracted members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Wike and Atiku were both members of the PDP before the 2023 presidential election. They contested the party’s presidential ticket in 2022, which Atiku eventually won.
While Wike remains a PDP member and serves as FCT minister under President Bola Tinubu’s APC-led administration, Atiku is seeking the presidency in 2027 on the platform of the African Democratic Congress.
Speaking at the event, Wike questioned the strength of opposition parties in Rivers State, arguing that the activities of rival political groups did not necessarily mean they had a significant political presence in the state.
“Let us tell ourselves the truth. In Rivers State, is there any other party existing? I am aware that some people may have gathered themselves to make sure they organise some people to go to a nightclub,” he said.
“There’s nothing wrong with that; people inviting you to go to a nightclub. I’m aware some people may have put themselves together for the sake that; ‘Look, it will not be proper for all of us to be in one political party. Let them go and see whether they can get something from the other side.’ That does not mean that such a party exists in Rivers State.”
The minister subsequently turned his attention to Atiku’s presidential ambition under the ADC, asking the audience whether they knew the former vice president.
“Now we are talking about ADC. Who wants to run as president under ADC? Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” Wike said.
When he asked the audience if they knew Atiku, the crowd responded in the negative, prompting the minister to say, “I pray you never know him.”
Explaining his position, Wike recalled his political dealings with Atiku, whom he said he had known since 2019, and questioned the former vice president’s reliability.
“I ran together with him in the 2022 presidential primaries. I have known him since 2019. I was one of the biggest sponsors for that presidential election. He is not a man that you can go to the bank with his words.
“He tells you one thing in the morning; he tells you another thing in the afternoon. He tells you something in the evening; the next morning he tells you a different thing,” Wike said.
