Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of repeatedly switching political parties in pursuit of his presidential ambition. Speaking at a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike said Atiku’s political moves since 1999 have been driven by his desire to occupy Nigeria’s highest office.

Wike noted that Atiku had moved from the PDP to the Action Congress (AC), back to the PDP, then to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and again to the PDP, all in search of a presidential ticket. “If I were his son, I would sit him down and ask: ‘Dad, how can you keep hopping from one party to another at almost 80 years old?’” Wike quipped.

The former Rivers governor dismissed the opposition coalition against President Bola Tinubu, claiming Atiku left the PDP because he was unlikely to secure its 2027 presidential ticket. “It is because he cannot get the presidential ticket under the PDP that he pushed for a coalition,” he said.