Wike slams Atiku over Serial defections: “If I were his Son, I’d advise him”

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has launched a scathing criticism of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of lacking political consistency and switching parties repeatedly in a desperate bid to become president.

Speaking at a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike traced Atiku’s political history, questioning the former vice president’s motives and commitment to any single ideology.

“Atiku was in the PDP in 1999, then he joined the Action Congress (AC). After AC, he returned to the PDP, later moved to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and then back to the PDP again, all in pursuit of the presidential ticket,” Wike recounted.

Taking a personal dig, the former Rivers State Governor said, “If I were his son, I would sit him down and ask: ‘Dad, how can you keep hopping from one party to another at almost 80 years old?’”

Wike’s comments follow reports of Atiku’s latest move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he is believed to be aligning with other opposition figures in an effort to form a new coalition against President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

However, Wike dismissed the development as nothing more than political maneuvering by a man who can no longer secure the presidential ticket within his own party.

“The way the PDP is now, it is not likely that Atiku would get a ticket, therefore it is not comfortable. Therefore, he tells you, ‘let’s do a coalition against Tinubu.’ It’s not right,” Wike said.

“It is because he cannot get the presidential ticket under the PDP that he pushed for a coalition,” he added, suggesting the alliance has less to do with national interest and more to do with personal ambition.