Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his frequent defections between Nigeria’s major political parties, accusing him of being driven by a desperate ambition to become president.
Speaking during a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike questioned Atiku’s political consistency and described his constant party-switching as unbecoming — particularly for someone approaching 80 years of age..
“Atiku was in the PDP in 1999, then he joined the Action Congress (AC). After AC, he returned to the PDP, later moved to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and then back to the PDP again, all in pursuit of the presidential ticket,” Wike said.
He continued with a personal jibe, “If I were his son, I would sit him down and ask: ‘Dad, how can you keep hopping from one party to another at almost 80 years old?’”
The minister said this while reacting to Abubakar’s latest defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as part of an emerging opposition coalition aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
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Wike dismissed the move, describing it as nothing more than political survival.
“The way the PDP is now, it is not likely that Atiku would get a ticket, therefore it is not comfortable. Therefore, he tells you, ‘let’s do a coalition against Tinubu.’ It’s not right,” he said.
“It is because he cannot get the presidential ticket under the PDP that he pushed for a coalition.”