Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has vowed that his principal will work against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential bid.
Olayinka made the statement while reacting to Atiku’s recent comment that he had no regrets about not choosing Wike as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election. Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate in the last election, had revealed that a committee recommended three potential running mates—former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Wike, and ex-Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel—before ultimately selecting Okowa.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Olayinka dismissed Atiku’s remarks, asserting that Wike also had no regrets about losing the vice-presidential slot. “Two years after making the @OfficialPDPNig lose a presidential election it could have won, @atiku is giving reasons he did not pick @GovWike as his running mate and that he has no regrets. Someone should tell our serial presidential election contester that Wike also has no regret for ensuring that he failed in the election and will make sure that he fails again and again,” Olayinka wrote.
Meanwhile, Atiku has announced the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027. The development has fueled speculation over who will lead the alliance, with former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai emerging as key figures in the movement.
When asked whether he would contest again, Atiku remained noncommittal. “I don’t know because there has to be, first of all, a viable platform, more than any other time in the political history of this country, particularly since the return of democracy,” he said.
The former vice president, who has run for the presidency six times without success, did not rule out another bid. “I have not seen Nigeria in such dire need of experienced and credible leadership as it is now,” he added.
Atiku compared the current situation to the 2014 formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), recalling how opposition forces united behind a single candidate to win. “We had a similar merger in 2014. About four of us, or is it three? We all ran for president, and one of us emerged. We all supported the one who emerged, and he won,” he said.
