The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Sunday launched a scathing attack on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for questioning his character.
The former Vice President had in a statement issued last weekend pointed out in a statement issued last weekend by his media aide, Paul Ibe, that he picked the former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election because of Wike’s character deficiency.
However, in a statement issued on Sunday, his media aide, Lere Olayinka, the former Rivers State governor, argued that no one understood Atiku’s character better than former President Olusegun Obasanjo, under whom Atiku served as Vice President for eight years.
He stressed that it was too late for the former Vice President to acquire the character and integrity he allegedly lacks.
“One Nigerian who can never be found in the gathering of men of character and integrity is Atiku, and his boss, Obasanjo, attested to this in his book My Watch,” Wike stated.
The minister said he initially declined Atiku’s offer to serve as his running mate due to concerns about Atiku’s integrity, but was later persuaded to reconsider.
However, he said Atiku’s actions ultimately justified those concerns.
“Atiku himself disregarded the decision of the committee set up to select his running mate, despite earlier promising to abide by its recommendation.
“Now that his false claim—that the committee ranked Ifeanyi Okowa as the top choice—has been exposed, he is suddenly sermonizing about character and integrity, qualities he does not possess,” he stated.
Referencing Obasanjo’s damning assessment of Atiku in My Watch, the former governor reiterated the former president’s allegations regarding Atiku’s “propensity for corruption,” “poor judgment,” and “reliance on money to buy his way out of all issues.”
“Up till today, Atiku has not debunked what his boss said about him,” he noted.
© Ripples Nigeria