The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has firmly declared his intent to prevent former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, from succeeding in his future presidential bid.
In a statement on Wednesday through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, maintained that the minister harbors no regrets regarding Atiku’s decision to bypass him as a running mate during the 2023 presidential election.
Meanwhile, in a recent interview with Adesina Giwa-Osagie, Atiku reiterated that he had “no regrets” about not selecting Wike for the vice-presidential role during the 2023 election campaign.
Recall that the tension between Atiku and Wike, however, dates back to the contentious 2022 PDP primaries.
Wike had hoped to secure the vice-presidential position after losing the presidential nomination to Atiku, but the party leader instead chose former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
The former vice president explained that his decision was influenced by the desire for broader party consultation.
He stressed that contrary to his 2019 pick of Peter Obi without widespread consultation, the PDP had formed a committee in 2023 to recommend three vice-presidential candidates.
Atiku noted that the committee ranked Okowa first, Wike second, and former Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel third, which led to his selection of Okowa as his running mate.
In a swift response, Olayinka, speaking on behalf of Wike, stated that the FCT Minister had no regrets about not being chosen for the vice-presidential position.
He further emphasized that Wike’s actions had played a pivotal role in Atiku’s electoral failure, and that the minister would continue to work against Atiku’s political ambitions.
Olayinka took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his sentiments, said; “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 contender that Wike also has no regret for ensuring that he failed in the election and will make sure that he fails again and again.”
