ABUJA, Nigeria – In a candid media chat in Abuja on Friday, April 18, 2025, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sharply criticized Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing him of failing to honor past agreements and commitments.
Wike’s remarks come as he fielded questions on his decision to support President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 general elections.
Wike, known for his staunch stance on party leadership and governance, explained that his decision to support Tinubu was driven by the dire state of the PDP at the time.
He contended that the PDP, under Atiku’s leadership, was not in a position to succeed due to internal power struggles that ultimately hindered the party’s ability to function cohesively.
“PDP is not ready and it’s very obvious,” Wike said.
“You don’t need to like me, what I’m saying is that, is it going to help the party? All this power struggle is not going to help us.”
He continued, reflecting on the decision to not support Atiku in 2023: “In 2023, I stood firm that I won’t support the PDP candidate. As at 2023, APC was down because the Buhari government was not doing well. A decision had to be taken on who to support, and when I looked at it, Atiku was not an option, so it’s a no-go area.”
Wike also recalled a significant episode from 2019 when Atiku, along with former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus, reached an agreement with him regarding key political appointments.
According to Wike, Atiku promised him the nomination of the Attorney-General and Minister of Petroleum, but after the election loss, the agreed-upon legal team was formed without any communication or involvement from him.
“One thing you must know is that Atiku does not keep to his words,” Wike said.
“I can tell you authoritatively what happened in 2019. Atiku, Saraki, and Secondus came to see me that I was going to nominate the attorney-general and minister of petroleum. When we lost the election, the man who was supposed to be the attorney-general did not know when the legal team was constituted.”
He expressed his frustration further, “I called Saraki and said you people constituted the legal team but you said I was going to bring the AG — that’s the point I’m making, people don’t keep to their words.”
Wike emphasized that his decision to not support Atiku was ultimately validated by the events that followed, noting that he had always been aware that Atiku was unlikely to honor commitments.
“I know from day one that Atiku will never keep to his words and I have never banked on that,” Wike said.
“It was very clear that I made the right decision and you can’t see me now saying I will support him for president? How?”
