Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, Urges Atiku Abubakar to Abandon Presidential Ambitions
Wike has made it clear that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not consider former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election. According to the Minister, the party’s ticket will not be “wasted” on individuals who have a history of betrayal within the party.
Wike’s statement came during a live media briefing in Abuja, where he emphasized that Atiku will not be granted another chance to run for president in 2027. This comes after Atiku mocked Wike over his failure to defeat him in the PDP’s 2022 primary election.
Atiku’s media aide, Phrank Shaibu, responded to Wike’s statement by pointing to Atiku’s prior successes in securing the PDP’s presidential candidacy in 2023 and former Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s defeat in 2019.
Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to the Minister, Lere Olayinka, reinforced Wike’s position in a statement released on Thursday. Olayinka urged Atiku and his supporters to refrain from pushing for his candidacy in 2027, stating that it’s time for him to “allow the PDP to breathe.”
Olayinka also criticized Atiku’s actions, saying that he is “venerating himself” for contesting the PDP ticket with Wike and Tambuwal, who were much younger than him when he first ran for president. Olayinka also accused Atiku of being driven by personal gain and of having a history of betraying the PDP in 2003, 2007, and 2014.
Olayinka further emphasized that Atiku’s desperation to become president led him to contest for the presidency as a candidate of the Action Congress in 2007, while still serving as Vice President under the PDP. He also pointed out that Atiku’s conscience will continue to prick him over his roles in Lagos in 2023 and his apology to PDP members in 2018, which he claimed will never remove the “garment of betrayal” from his body.
Olayinka concluded by warning Atiku and his supporters that the PDP will not give its ticket to someone who will lose an election and then run to Dubai, only to return two years later to contest another election.
