Atiku Abubakar Fires Back at Wike Over 2027 PDP Presidential Ticket Comment
By Bala Salihu Dawakin kudu
Northern Bureau Chief
November 15, 2024
Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has responded to comments made by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), regarding his prospects of becoming the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2027 elections.
Wike, during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, had declared that Atiku would not be permitted another shot at the PDP’s presidential ticket. The Minister alleged that Atiku was lobbying for another opportunity, adding, “He is lobbying for another chance, but the chance will not be there. In which party? How can we rely on one man for so many years?”
In a swift and pointed response, Atiku, through his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, dismissed Wike’s remarks, reminding him of past political defeats and cautioning against premature politicking.
“If Wike had the power to distribute presidential tickets like party favours, he’d certainly have kept one for himself,” Atiku’s aide remarked. “After all, Atiku thoroughly schooled him and his chosen protégé in his own backyard during the 2019 election and handed him a resounding defeat in the 2023 primaries in Abuja.”
Shaibu continued by calling out Wike’s apparent contradiction, noting that while the Minister publicly claims that the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is destined to win in 2027, he remains fixated on Atiku’s future candidacy.
“Isn’t it too early in the day for that? Our focus should be on the real issues—the worsening conditions of living for Nigerians,” Shaibu stated. “This hunger is becoming unbearable; it’s what we should be addressing, not political maneuvers for 2027.”
The exchange highlights ongoing tensions within the PDP as members and stakeholders strategize for the next electoral cycle. Atiku, a veteran politician and two-time PDP presidential candidate, appears unfazed by the internal criticism and remains focused on broader national issues.
Observers believe the verbal clash underscores deeper divisions within the PDP, as key figures like Wike and Atiku vie for influence ahead of the next general elections. For now, the former Vice President has signaled that his priority lies in addressing Nigeria’s pressing socio-economic challenges rather than engaging in what he terms “premature politicking.”
