The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, fails in any future bid for the presidency.

Wike’s position was conveyed through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, in response to Atiku’s recent remarks regarding his choice of a running mate in the 2023 election.

During an interview with Adesina Giwa-Osagie, Atiku stated that he had “no regrets” about not selecting Wike as his running mate. Their rivalry dates back to the controversial PDP primaries in 2022, where Wike, after losing the party’s presidential ticket to Atiku, had anticipated being named vice-presidential candidate. Instead, Atiku chose former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

Defending his decision, Atiku explained that he wanted broader consultation to avoid past criticisms. “They said I did not consult widely in 2019 when I picked Peter Obi as my running mate, so in 2023, I told the party to set up a committee to recommend three names,” he said. According to Atiku, the committee ranked Okowa as the top choice, followed by Wike and former Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel. “So I picked number one,” he added.

Reacting to Atiku’s statement, Olayinka insisted that Wike had no regrets over the outcome and remains determined to obstruct Atiku’s political ambitions.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Olayinka wrote: “Two years after making the @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.

Someone should tell our serial presidential election contester that Wike also has no regret for ensuring that he failed in the election and will make sure that he fails again and again.”