Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has pledged that his principal will thwart former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential bid.
Olayinka made this statement in response to Atiku’s recent comment expressing no regrets about not selecting Wike as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election. Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the last election, revealed that a committee had presented him with three potential running mates: former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Wike, and former Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel. Okowa was ultimately chosen.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Olayinka dismissed Atiku’s remarks, stating that Wike also had no regrets about losing the vice-presidential slot to Okowa. He further asserted that Wike played a significant role in Atiku’s defeat in 2023 and would ensure that Atiku fails again in 2027.
“Two years after making @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,” Olayinka wrote. “Someone should tell our serial presidential election contender that Wike also has no regret for ensuring that he failed in the election and will make sure that he fails again and again.”
Atiku has recently announced the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections. This move has fueled speculation about who will lead the coalition, with former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai being discussed as potential candidates.
When asked if he would run for president again in 2027, Atiku remained cautious, emphasizing that a strong political platform must first be established. “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.
However, Atiku, who has made six unsuccessful presidential attempts, did not rule out another run. “I have not seen Nigeria in such dire need of experienced and credible leadership as it is now,” he added. He compared the current political climate to the lead-up to the formation of the All Progressives Congress in 2014, where opposition parties united behind a single candidate to secure victory. “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,” Atiku recalled.