The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has vowed to ensure that former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, fails in any future attempt to become Nigeria’s president.
Wike made the statement through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, in response to Atiku’s recent remarks about his choice of a running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
In a recent interview, Atiku said he had “no regrets” about not picking Wike as his running mate in the 2023 election. He was interviewed by Adesina Giwa-Osagie.
Atiku and Wike’s rivalry dates back to the controversial PDP primaries in 2022. After losing the party’s presidential ticket to Atiku, Wike expected to be named vice-presidential candidate, but Atiku chose former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa instead.
Defending his decision, Atiku explained that he allowed the PDP to decide on his running mate.
“They said I did not consult widely in 2019 when I picked Peter Obi as my running mate, so in 2023, I told the party to set up a committee to recommend three names,” Atiku said.
He added that the committee ranked Okowa as the top choice, Wike second, and former Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel third. “So I picked number one,” Atiku said.
In response, Olayinka insisted that Wike had no regrets over the decision, adding that he would continue to work against Atiku’s presidential ambitions.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Olayinka wrote, “Two years after making the @OfficialPDPNig lose a presidential election it could have won, @atiku is giving reasons he did not pick @GovWike 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.”
