Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has leveled criticism at former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for his history of switching political parties. During a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike highlighted Abubakar’s consistent party-hopping since Nigeria transitioned to civilian rule in 1999.

Wike noted Abubakar’s latest defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), labelling it emblematic of his long-standing political behavior. “Atiku was in the PDP in 1999, then he joined the Action Congress (AC). After AC, he returned to the PDP, later moved to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and then back to the PDP again, all in pursuit of the presidential ticket,” Wike stated.

The Minister humorously remarked, “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?’” He emphasized that Abubakar’s continual changes of allegiance are driven by an insatiable ambition to become president.

Wike also dismissed the efforts of the opposition coalition formed against President Bola Tinubu and the APC, asserting that Abubakar’s departure from the PDP stemmed from the unlikelihood of securing the party’s presidential nomination.

“The current state of the PDP makes it unlikely that Atiku would receive the ticket, thus he seeks comfort elsewhere. He proposes a coalition against Tinubu, but that’s not right,” Wike asserted. “It is clear that he is seeking alternatives because he cannot attain the presidential ticket under the PDP.”