Atiku To Wike: Focus On Challenges Facing Nigeria, Not 2027
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for prioritizing the 2027 election as against focusing on pressing challenges facing Nigeria and Nigerians under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration.
An aide Wike, Lere Olayinka, had said that the FCT minister would work against Atiku’s 2027 presidential bid, just as he allegedly did in the 2023 election.
Olayinka, who stated this while reacting to Atiku’s statement that he had no regrets for not choosing Wike as his running mate in the in the 2023 election, said that Wike played a decisive role in Atiku’s defeat in 2023.
In a post on X, Olayinka said; Wike would ensure Atiku fails again in 2027. Two years after making the PDP lose a presidential election it could have won, Atiku is giving reasons he did not pick Wike as his running mate and that he has no regrets.
“Someone should tell our serial presidential election contester that Wike also has no regret for ensuring that he failed in the election and will make sure that he fails again and again.”
In his response, Atiku, through his media adviser, Paul Ibe, said that it was sad that instead of Wike focusing on urgent matters of national importance, he is more concerned and focused on 2027 election.
Ibe further described Wike’s focus on the 2027 election as insensitive against the backdrop of the fact that current administration is struggling to fulfill its promises.
According to Ibe; “Former Vice President Abubakar is currently preoccupied with issues of nation-building than bothering himself about what Wike and others want to think”.
He questioned whether Nigerians were in a better situation now compared to 2023, saying; “The question they should be answering is, are Nigerians better off today than they were in 2023? What is the cost of living today? What was it back in 2023?”.
