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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has hit back at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, dismissing his recent criticisms of the Bola Tinubu administration as baseless and accusing him of being a “serial failure.”
Wike made the remarks during an inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects in Kuje and other parts of the FCT, responding directly to Atiku’s comments on national television, where he claimed that the current administration had failed to alleviate the hardship Nigerians face.
Wike rejected these claims, urging Atiku to compare his own record as Vice President to the current progress in the FCT.
“At a certain age, one should be able to look at facts objectively. He lives in the FCT; let him compare the FCT of today to the eight years when he was Vice President. We have been in office for less than three years, yet the transformation is clear. Nigerians would laugh at anyone suggesting nothing is being done,” Wike said.
He also took aim at Atiku’s credibility, recalling that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had publicly labelled Atiku a failure and questioned his character.
“Why should I bother replying to someone whose own principal attached the tag of corruption to him?” Wike added, referring to Obasanjo’s scathing remarks about Atiku’s tenure.
In a tone laced with sarcasm, Wike further encouraged Atiku to run for president again in 2027, though he quickly dismissed the idea, saying, “2027 is not available for him.”
Turning his attention to opposition parties, Wike downplayed the potential strength of a proposed coalition, dismissing it as unlikely to challenge the ruling party.
He also responded to accusations by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that he attempted to revoke the licence of the Rainbow Event Centre in Garki to hinder their planned national convention. He called the claims false and questioned the timeline of the alleged request, suggesting the ADC was attempting to implicate the FCT administration.
The minister concluded by advising opposition parties to focus on their internal affairs rather than attacking the government.
Atiku had earlier revealed that the 2027 election would be his final attempt at the presidency.
