Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Thursday sharply rebuked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, branding him a “serial failure” and declaring that he should not waste his time through the 2027 presidential race.
Speaking to reporters during an inspection of infrastructure projects, Minister Wike rejected Atiku’s recent television comments, which claimed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has failed to alleviate Nigerians’ economic hardships.
“At a certain age, one should be able to look at facts objectively,” Wike said.
“He lives in the FCT; let him compare the FCT of today to the eight years when he was vice President.”
In less than three years in office, Minister Wike highlighted visible transformations, adding, “Nigerians would laugh at anyone suggesting nothing is being done.”
He invoked former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s past criticisms of Atiku, noting Obasanjo had labeled him a failure and tied him to corruption allegations.
“Why should I bother replying to someone whose own principal attached the tag of corruption to him?” Wike asked.
Minister Wike sarcastically encouraged the 77-year-old Atiku—who said in a Wednesday Arise Television interview that 2027 would be his final presidential run—to keep contesting elections for relevance.
“I encourage him to run… But 2027 is not available for him,” he said.
The Minister also refuted claims by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that he sought to revoke the license of the Rainbow Event Centre in Garki to derail the party’s national convention.
He called the allegations baseless, pointing to the party’s failure to follow up on an April 7 request for an April 14 event until the last minute.
Minister Wike downplayed talk of an opposition coalition involving Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Nasir El-Rufai, predicting the People’s Democratic Party would outmatch the ADC.
“In the last FCT elections, the ADC couldn’t even win a single councillorship. How do they intend to win the country?” he said.
The FCT Minister urged opposition groups to fix their internal issues before attacking the government.
