Wike Tells Atiku To Abandon 2027 Presidential Aspirations.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has advised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to forgo any ambitions of securing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket for the 2027 election. In a live media briefing held in Abuja, Wike asserted that the PDP would not waste its ticket on candidates he described as “serial betrayers,” alluding to Atiku’s past actions within the party.
Atiku, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2023, recently responded to Wike’s statements by pointing out his previous victories over the Minister, referencing his success in the 2022 PDP primary and former Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s defeat in 2019. Atiku’s media aide, Phrank Shaibu, issued a response, defending Atiku’s position and recalling these past successes.
However, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, reiterated Wike’s stance on Thursday. Olayinka urged Atiku and his supporters to allow the PDP room to move forward, stating, “His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and those urging him on for personal gain should allow the PDP to breathe.”
Olayinka criticised Atiku for his repeated presidential attempts, dating back to his 1993 Social Democratic Party (SDP) primary run, in which he placed third. According to Olayinka, Atiku’s continuous campaigns reflect his unwillingness to accept defeat gracefully. He suggested that Atiku’s history of “betraying the PDP” by running for president under different parties demonstrates a lack of loyalty to the party.
Atiku’s past decisions, particularly his presidential run under the Action Congress (AC) in 2007 while still serving as Vice President for the PDP, were highlighted as examples of political ambition over party allegiance. Olayinka further claimed that Atiku’s actions during the 2023 Lagos elections, coupled with his apology to PDP members in 2018, have not erased what he referred to as a “garment of betrayal.”
In a closing statement, Wike’s aide emphasised that the PDP’s 2027 ticket would not be available for “someone like him, who will lose election and run to Dubai, only to come back two years to another election.” This marks the latest chapter in the ongoing rivalry between Wike and Atiku as they each shape their political futures within the PDP.
