The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the African Democratic Congress on Thursday engaged in a war of words after the ADC blamed President Bola Tinubu for the current hardships facing Nigerians.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja, Wike dismissed the 2027 political coalition, arguing that only the Peoples Democratic Party can defeat the incumbent President, while insisting that Nigerians are not considering the ADC.
Meanwhile, the PDP’s National Working Committee, through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Thursday, clarified that the party has not issued any official position on the coalition.
Additionally, the ADC’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, alleged that the faction of the party led by former Senate President David Mark was intentionally designed to make former Vice President Atiku Abubakar the party’s presidential candidate in 2027.
He vowed to challenge the new leaders in court to reclaim the party.
In response to the FCT minister’s attack, ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said in a statement on Thursday that Wike is unsettled because the emerging coalition poses a significant threat to the administration he represents.
Abdullahi maintained that the ADC-led coalition belongs to the Nigerian people.
On Wednesday, a coterie of politicians unveiled the ADC as the coalition platform to oust Tinubu in 2027 following his alleged failure to improve the lot of Nigerians.
Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, ex-Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and other prominent politicians attended the unveiling of the ADC.
Though most of these figures have not formally joined the ADC, they publicly declared their support for the party, which is now led by an interim leadership team headed by David Mark as national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary, following the resignation of Ralph Nwosu and his team.
The minister also dismissed claims that Nigerians were angry, pointing out that many members of the coalition were once in power but failed to improve the lives of the people during their time in office.
He said, “I heard David Mark say, to rescue Nigeria, Nigerians are angry. David Mark was Senate President for how many terms? Two terms, is it not? Nigerians were happy? Nigerians were happy when he was Senate President for eight years? And there was no single project to Otukpo; not one. He was flying in a helicopter to go to Otukpo. Nigerians were not angry then, but Nigerians are only angry now.
“When Rotimi Amaechi was minister for eight years, Nigerians were not angry. When Nigeria became indebted, Chinese loans, Nigerians were happy. It’s now that Nigerians are angry. I saw Seriake (Dickson). They are saying Nigerians are angry. They want to rescue Nigeria. So, I’m asking this simple question. What happened to Air Nigeria? Nigerians were happy then.
“When they went to APC in 2015 and took over the reins of power in 2023, Nigerians were happy. Was it under Tinubu’s government that banditry came? Tambuwal, you were the speaker for four years. What did you do to make Nigerians not angry? You were a governor in Sokoto State,” he said.
Wike added that he would only agree that Nigerians are angry if such claims came from individuals who never held public office.
He emphasised that Tinubu was actively working to improve the nation’s condition.
The former Rivers state governor noted, “When you want to go to power, tell us. If there are people who have not been in power in this country, who are coming up with such an idea, I can listen to them.
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