Wike: Atiku Has No Character, He’s Not Trustworthy

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja 

The Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, blasted former Vice-President,  Atiku Abubakar, describing him as a liar and someone without character.

He chastised Atiku in a statement by his senior media aide, Lere Olayinka, in response to Atiku’s claim that he picked former Delta State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election based on report of the committee set up by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to select its Vice Presidential candidate.

Olayinka insisted that Wike was never keen about being Atiku’s running mate because the former vice  president was a liability.

He added that Wike had no regret working against Atiku in the 2023 presidential election, even as he likened the statement issued by Atiku’s media office as face-saving and an attempt to use further lies to defend his previous lies.

According to Olayinka, the report of the committee was released so as to set the records straight, and this has made Atiku and his men to confess that in selecting his running mate, he (Atiku) did not follow the report of the committee set up by the PDP. 

While saying Atiku picked whom he wanted, not who the party wanted, he said, “By saying that there were no laid down rules or laws on the selection process of a running mate. Committees, consultations, and recommendations are advisory in nature. 

“The final decision rests solely and exclusively with the presidential candidate, in this case, Atiku Abubakar. It is a constitutional and strategic choice, not a popularity contest. Atiku’s Media Office has confirmed that their principal actually lied and never had any regard for the PDP as a party,” he said.

He expressed gladness that they had established that Atiku lied, not a man to be trusted and chose to lie during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The statement noted that Atiku had the right of choice of running mate in 2019 and 2023 and should be able to defend his choice as well as be honest for once to accept the consequences rather than trying to misrepresent facts to justify the choice he made.

“It is also to be reiterated that just as Atiku, the loser in the election, has said he has no regret over the choice he made, Wike too has no regret over his choice. 

“Therefore, no one is harboring any personal ill-feeling against Atiku for failing with the choice he made, and no one should also harbour ill-feeling against Wike for succeeding with the choice he made.

“Also, as for us, no ego is bruised, no bitterness too. Just a clear case of we making our choice and you making your own choice. But more than two years after, you are now trying to defend your own choice of failure with lies.

“On the PDP and the task of rebuilding it, it is necessary for Atiku to first come clear as to which party he belongs now, because PDP has not formed coalition with any political party.

“Most importantly, his penchant for seeking to contest the presidential election under any available party has remained PDP’s major albatross,” Olayinka said.