The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has launched a fierce critique against ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal, branding them as “habitually inconsistent” political actors.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ last Thursday evening, Wike accused both politicians of betraying public trust by frequently switching party allegiances to serve their personal ambitions.
“Tambuwal claims to trust Atiku’s leadership, but these individuals have shown a pattern of unreliability. When someone repeatedly betrays trust, what else can you expect?” Wike remarked.
“It’s no surprise that Aminu aligns with Atiku, given their shared history and similar political behavior,” he added.
Wike then outlined Atiku’s political trajectory over the last twenty years, highlighting a consistent pattern of party hopping.
“Consider Atiku’s journey: he was with the PDP in 1999 and served as Vice President. He later challenged his own party leader, despite pleas to the contrary. Then, when the current President, Asiwaju, offered him a ticket under the ACN, he switched allegiance. He returned to the PDP in 2011 to contest the presidency but was unsuccessful. Subsequently, he moved to the APC to run against Buhari and lost again. In 2019, he rejoined the PDP, secured the ticket in 2022, but we defeated him,” Wike recounted.
When pressed on his statement “we failed him,” Wike responded firmly:
“Yes, people who lack consistency deserve to be defeated. While I’m not solely responsible, I played a significant role in ensuring Atiku’s loss, and I remain proud of that. I would do it again if given the chance.”
He also pointed out, “Now, he has shifted once more, this time to the ADC.”
Addressing Tambuwal’s assertions of loyalty and leadership, Wike dismissed them by chronicling his numerous party changes as proof of unreliability.
“Who exactly is Tambuwal? Back in 1999, he was a Special Assistant to Senator Wali. He then moved to APP or AD-whatever the name was-before returning to the PDP, where he became Speaker, a position we supported financially. He left PDP for APC in 2014, then exited APC by 2017 to rejoin PDP with presidential ambitions, and now he’s headed to ADC. Look at his path, and compare it to Atiku’s,” Wike stated.
In contrast, Wike portrayed himself as a symbol of steadfastness and loyalty, declaring: “Now, consider Nyesom Wike-since 1999, I have remained with the PDP.”
