Wike blasts Atiku over party switches, says 2027 ambition behind PDP exit

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) due to his 2027 presidential ambition.

Speaking during a media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said Atiku’s repeated defection from one party to another since 1999 was driven solely by his quest to become Nigeria’s president.

“Atiku was in PDP in 1999, then he joined the Action Congress (AC), returned to PDP, moved to the APC, and came back to PDP again—all in pursuit of the presidential ticket,” Wike said.

He jokingly added, “If I were his son, I would ask: ‘Dad, how can you keep hopping from one party to another at almost 80 years old?’”

The former Rivers State governor also dismissed recent talks of an opposition coalition against President Bola Tinubu and the APC, claiming Atiku only began pushing for such a move after realizing he wouldn’t clinch the PDP ticket in 2027.

“The PDP as it stands won’t give him the ticket, so he’s uncomfortable.

“That’s why he’s calling for a coalition—it’s all about his personal ambition,” Wike stated.