*Photo L-R: Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar*
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has described former vice president Atiku Atiku as “a serial contester and loser.”
He said this on Thursday while addressing journalists shortly after an inspection of road projects.
Wike was reacting to the criticisms of the policies of the current administration by Atiku, a former presidential candidate and aspiring candidate for next year’s presidential election.
According to Wike, “Atiku is a serial contester and loser. Let him compare FCT now to when he was Vice President. Can he compare what is in FCT today to what it was then? His boss, former President Obasanjo, said the former Vice President is a complete failure and even attached corruption to his name. So, why would I reply to someone like that?.”
Barr. Wike further refuted claims by the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) that he blocked their request for a convention venue and threatened to revoke the license of a private Event Centre which hosted the party’s convention. He challenged the party to produce any official correspondence or payment receipts to validate their claims of government interference.
“I don’t even know where Rainbow (the event centre) is. I have no business with your convention. People just want to have public sympathy. If you don’t know what to do, for Christ’s sake, go and solve your problems. I will be very glad for them to be on the ballot so the stories can be over.”
Wike reassured residents of FCT that the ongoing infrastructure development across the nation’s capital will not be slowed down by political activities leading up to the 2027 general elections.
He further dismissed concerns that governance might take a backseat to politics, maintaining that the administration’s focus remains on fulfilling its mandate to the people rather than being distracted by electoral cycles.
Speaking on the feasibility of implementing the 2026 budget in an election-heavy atmosphere, Wike insisted that work would continue at full speed.
He noted that while politicians may be preoccupied with campaigns, the technical partners and contractors remain focused on project delivery.
“It’s feasible. People must work. The contractors—are they part of the elections? No. So, people will work. People must feed. We wouldn’t stop our various works because of elections…Even before we get to January, we must have done virtually over 80 percent of what we intend to do. So, we don’t have any problems about that”, the Minister stated.