Wike Tells Rivers Voters: Atiku Cannot Be Trusted
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has told Rivers State voters that former Vice President
Atiku Abubakar cannot be trusted, describing him as inconsistent in his words and actions.
Wike made the remarks on Tuesday at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt during the unveiling
of candidates backed by his Rainbow Coalition for the 2027 general elections.
The coalition draws support from members of both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP).
Addressing the gathering, Wike questioned the presence and relevance of opposition parties in Rivers
State before turning to Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Now we are talking about ADC. Who wants to run as president under ADC? Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Do
you know him?” Wike asked the crowd, which responded “No.”
“I pray you never know him,” he advised.
Wike recounted his past political association with the former vice president. “I ran together with him in
the 2022 presidential primaries. I have known him since 2019. I was one of the biggest sponsors for that
presidential election.”
“He is not a man that you can go to the bank with his words. He tells you one thing in the morning; he
tells you another thing in the afternoon. He tells you something in the evening; the next morning he tells
you a different thing.”
Both men were members of the PDP before the 2023 elections and contested the party’s presidential
primary, which Atiku won.
Wike remains a PDP member while serving as FCT minister in President Bola Tinubu’s APC-led
administration. Atiku is now seeking the presidency on the ADC platform ahead of the 2027 election.
The event marked the formal presentation of the Rainbow Coalition’s preferred candidates for various
positions in Rivers State, including governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and state
assembly seats, drawn from both APC and PDP.
Wike’s comments form part of his ongoing mobilisation efforts in Rivers State in support of Tinubu’s re-
election bid.
By Oyinkansola Shittu.
