Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his recent position on money allegedly offered to voters by politicians during elections.
Wike questioned Atiku’s credibility to speak against corruption after the former vice president reportedly urged Nigerians to collect money offered to them by members of the ruling party during elections, describing such funds as stolen money.
Wike spoke on Monday, October 5, 2026, during town-hall meetings with stakeholders from the Rumueme and Apara kingdoms in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“When I saw Atiku on television yesterday, asking Nigerians to take any money given to them by people from the party in power, saying that it will be stolen money, I said, ‘Haa, Atiku is now an apostle of anti-corruption?’” Wike said.
The FCT minister subsequently referred to Atiku’s political history and his relationship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, under whom Atiku served as vice president between 1999 and 2007.
Wike said Atiku was now presenting himself as an anti-corruption voice despite previous criticisms from Obasanjo.
“The same Atiku that his boss described as corrupt and that one of his major regrets is making him his Vice President is talking,” Wike said.
Obasanjo himself revisited his decision to select Atiku as his running mate in August 2026. Speaking at a public event in Lagos, the former president said that, with the knowledge he later acquired about Atiku, he would not have selected him as his running mate had he known what he subsequently came to know.
Wike’s comments came amid growing political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Atiku now representing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its presidential candidate and former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
The FCT minister also attacked the Atiku-Amaechi ticket, describing it as a “joint ticket of corruption” during his engagement with Rivers stakeholders.
He questioned the opposition ticket’s ability to secure the constitutionally required 25 per cent of votes in Rivers State and argued that Amaechi’s political record would not guarantee the ADC significant support in the state.
Wike, who governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023, has increasingly positioned himself as a supporter of President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027, despite remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
At the same meetings, Wike said his political focus was on securing Tinubu’s re-election.
“Each day I sleep, I am thinking about the President’s re-election. When I am eating, I think about the President’s re-election. Everything I am doing now is about the President’s re-election,” he said.
He urged Rivers residents to support Tinubu, arguing that the President had recognised the state through federal appointments and development projects.
Wike’s latest criticism also followed recent statements by Atiku questioning aspects of the Tinubu administration’s management of public funds.
On October 4, 2026, Atiku asked President Tinubu to explain ₦11.2 trillion recorded in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s 2025 audited accounts as “other receivables from federation,” relating to advance payments to the federation and costs incurred to secure oil and gas assets.
Atiku also questioned whether companies holding government contracts had provided financial or material support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.
The former vice president has also recently criticised the government’s handling of the economy and said Nigerians were struggling with rising food, transportation and energy costs. In an October 2 statement, he promised to pursue policies aimed at making life more affordable if elected president.
The exchange between Wike and Atiku adds to the intensifying political contest ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly as opposition figures consolidate around the ADC and the Tinubu administration prepares for its re-election campaign.
While Wike has repeatedly criticised the opposition alliance and its leading figures, Atiku has continued to challenge the Federal Government over economic hardship, public spending and accountability.
Wike’s latest remarks about Atiku’s past also revive a longstanding political dispute between Atiku and Obasanjo, whose relationship deteriorated during their time in government. Obasanjo has previously made serious criticisms of his former vice president, while Atiku has continued to defend his political record.
The latest exchange, however, remains part of the broader political contest ahead of 2027, with both sides increasingly scrutinising the records, statements and political alliances of their opponents.
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