Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, has criticised former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, over his position on fuel subsidy, accusing him of changing his stance for political reasons.
Wike said Atiku could not be regarded as a leading contender in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that the former vice president’s recent position on fuel subsidy contradicted his earlier views.
The FCT minister spoke in Abuja while reacting to Atiku’s declaration that he would not remove fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.
Atiku had argued that the subsidy system was surrounded by fraud and questioned the Federal Government on how much had been saved from its removal and how the funds were being utilised.
However, Wike faulted the position, recalling that Atiku had previously supported the removal of fuel subsidy.
“Atiku, who is a voodoo economist, will say anything just to be president. This was a man who was going to remove the fuel subsidy in 2022. Now, in 2026, he is not going to remove the fuel subsidy. Is he going back to the fraud which he alleged the fuel subsidy was?” Wike said.
The minister said political leaders must be consistent with their positions, especially on issues that directly affect Nigerians.
“He will say anything just to be president. We should be consistent in what we send to our people,” Wike added.
Wike also dismissed the suggestion that Atiku was among the major challengers in the 2027 presidential race, insisting that President Bola Tinubu remained the only leading candidate.
“I disagree that Atiku is one of the leading presidential candidates. We have only one leading candidate, and that is Bola Tinubu,” he said.
The former Rivers State governor said opposition parties lacked the strength to defeat the ruling party in 2027, declaring that the election outcome was already predictable.
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