The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed how former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki, and former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus deceived him in the run-up to the 2019 presidential election.
The former Rivers State governor also launched fresh attacks on Atiku, branding him as an untrustworthy politician who habitually reneges on his promises.
Wike made the disclosure during a live media parley in Abuja on Friday, where he also took aim at the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying the party is unprepared to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections
The FCT Minister, who vehemently opposed Atiku’s presidential bid in the 2023 elections, said that his stance was not solely based on the principle of power rotation but also on the former vice president’s alleged lack of integrity.
Wike played a pivotal role in the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) campaign in 2019. He revealed that the trio had promised him the authority to nominate key officials, including the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Petroleum, if Atiku emerged victorious. However, the agreement was allegedly abandoned after the election loss.
“I can tell you authoritatively what happened. In 2019, Atiku, Saraki, and Secondus came to see me, saying I was going to nominate the Attorney-General and Minister of Petroleum. When we lost the election, the man who was supposed to bring the Attorney-General did not know when the legal team was constituted. I laughed; I watched it on television. I called Saraki and said, ‘You people have constituted a legal team, yet you said I was going to bring the Attorney-General,’” Wike recounted during an interview.
The FCT minister, known for his blunt remarks, did not hold back in his criticism of Atiku, describing him as a politician who cannot be trusted. “I knew from day one that Atiku would never keep to his words, and I’ve never banked on that. I will not take his words to the bank,” he declared.
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