Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a scathing attack on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, accusing him of betrayal and complicity in the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s alleged misrule.
Atiku further claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is running Nigeria remotely via a WhatsApp group instead of delivering responsible leadership from Aso Rock.
The controversy erupted after Wike, during an interview on TVC, questioned the sincerity behind the growing political coalition seeking to unseat President Tinubu in the 2027 general elections. The coalition, comprising Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, aims to present a united opposition front against the ruling APC.
Wike described the coalition’s proponents as power-hungry individuals pursuing personal ambitions, rather than working to build a formidable opposition platform.
“Everybody wants to become president of the country. Nobody wants to say, ‘Let me strengthen our party so we can position it for a proper democratic takeover,’” Wike stated.
Reacting sharply, Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, lambasted Wike, describing him as a political traitor with no moral authority to discuss sincerity or party loyalty.
“Wike is not in a position to talk about sincerity,” Ibe said. “This is a man who betrayed his party and is working with the APC to sabotage the PDP and the hopes of millions of Nigerians. He has no understanding of what sincerity means.”
Ibe went further to criticize President Tinubu, claiming that the Nigerian leader is practically absent from governance.
“If Wike wants to talk about sincerity, he should advise his principal, Tinubu—an absentee president who governs the country through the Presidential Villa’s WhatsApp group. Tinubu must return home and face the business of governance.”
He also accused Wike of meddling in Rivers State affairs to assert total control over the state government by allegedly conspiring with federal forces in Abuja to weaken Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“Wike is not only undermining his party but also his own state. It’s shameful. Instead of supporting democratic structures, he’s using underhanded tactics to destabilize governance in Rivers,” Ibe stated.
Also weighing in, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) accused Wike of being an agent of the ruling party and attempting to discredit a movement that enjoys widespread support from Nigerians desperate for change.
CUPP’s National Secretary, Peter Ahmeh, said: “Wike is doing APC’s bidding. His attempt to dismiss the coalition is proof that he’s working against the collective interest of Nigerians. But Nigerians are awake. The coalition isn’t about personal ambition—it’s about reclaiming the country from incompetence and failed leadership.”
The coalition movement, already gaining traction across key demographics, is being positioned as a credible platform to challenge what critics call the APC’s “clueless economic policies,” “chronic insecurity,” and “institutionalized corruption.”
As Nigeria inches closer to the 2027 elections, the battle lines are being drawn—and the political temperature is heating up.
