Atiku argued that no individual, regardless of influence or access to federal power, can dictate how an entire state will vote.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the prediction by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that he will put up another underwhelming performance in Rivers State during the 2027 general election.
He fired back at the minister in a recent statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
Wike, whilst speaking during a luncheon in honour of candidates of the Rainbow Coalition for the 2027 poll in Rivers State, had boasted that Atiku would not get 10% of the votes from the state next year.
He said, “Atiku Abubakar in 2023 never got 10% in Rivers State. It will be very disheartening if he gets 11 per cent in Rivers State in the next election.
“If he gets 10%, which he did not get in 2023, it means he has gone higher. We will make sure the ADC will not have 10% here. A man who is not ready for work, but ready when food is ready, is not available in the state. You must work hard.”
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Primaries don’t decide candidates in APC, says national secretary
Reacting to the comments, the Adamawa State-born politician said the people of the oil-rich state are intelligent enough to decide whom they will choose.
He further noted that Wike’s statement only exposed the growing panic within President Bola Tinubu’s camp following the emergence of a formidable opposition coalition under the ADC.
He also argued that Nigerians are more concerned about the soaring cost of living, worsening insecurity, and economic hardship than the political predictions of a minister who appears to have abandoned governance for perpetual electioneering.
Atiku said, “Rivers’ votes are not your property. The people of Rivers State are not political slaves. They are intelligent, independent-minded Nigerians who will make their choices based on the realities confronting them and the future they desire for their children.
“No individual, regardless of influence or access to federal power, can dictate how an entire state will vote.”
