Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has harshly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration, telling it to focus on important problems of governance instead of making early political plans for the 2027 presidential election. Atiku’s words were a direct response to Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who said that Atiku had no chance of getting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket in 2027.
Wike said that Atiku was “lobbying for another chance” to run for president in 2027, but he said that this chance would not come up for him. He said this to make it sound like the former Vice President had stayed in Nigerian politics too long. What Wike said got a strong response from Atiku’s supporters, especially from Phrank Shaibu, who is Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communications. Shaibu reminded Wike of the political losses he had suffered at the hands of Atiku. He also said that Wike had tried unsuccessfully in the past to change how the PDP chose candidates. He also said that Atiku had not only beaten Wike’s picks for candidates in 2019, but also won decisively in the 2023 polls, which had effectively shut down Wike’s political power within the party.
In addition, Shaibu was upset that Wike was focusing on the 2027 election, especially since Wike had already said in public that President Tinubu would be re-elected. He said that Wike was wasting his time talking about politics and the next election when Nigeria had more important issues to deal with right now, like hunger, the rising cost of living, and the social and economic effects of ending the fuel subsidy. In his speech, Shaibu said that Wike and other members of the current government should focus on making life better for ordinary Nigerians instead of planning ahead for 2027.
Atiku’s supporters also questioned why the government put political desire ahead of governance, saying that political fighting was taking attention away from the problems Nigerians, especially the weakest, face every day. Many people are angry at Atiku’s comments because they show that he thinks the current government is more concerned with keeping power and securing future political wins than with meeting the immediate needs of the Nigerian people. Millions of people are having a hard time making ends meet because of the rising cost of living and the government’s recent economic changes. Many people think that the focus on politics and running for office is taking attention away from the most important problems the country is facing.
Atiku’s criticisms also lead to a bigger discussion about how Nigeria’s political leaders will shape the future of the country. Nigeria still has a lot of problems, like high unemployment, bad infrastructure, and widespread corruption. Many Nigerians want their leaders to stop worrying about the next election and start working on real changes that will make life better. Atiku has made it clear that his biggest concern right now is the health and safety of Nigerians, even though he still cares about the future of the PDP and Nigeria.
People like Atiku and Wike are making comments that show how tense Nigerian politics are getting as politicians on both sides try to deal with power struggles, party politics, and the voters’ calls for real change. Nigeria is entering a new political era under President Tinubu, and Atiku and others are preparing to change the conversation about governance. Many say that the country should focus on governance and finding solutions to its economic problems instead of planning its next election.
Beyond the specifics of this argument, it is one of many political fights that have happened in Nigeria in recent years, especially as the country gets ready for the 2027 presidential election. But for many Nigerians, the ongoing political fights and early campaign talk serve as a reminder of how far removed the political elite are from the daily challenges of the people. People in Nigeria are getting more and more angry, and Atiku’s call for a change in focus shows that they want real improvements in their lives instead of more political games.
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