Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has strongly refuted allegations that he acted double-faced during the 2023 general elections in relation to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike declared that he had always been upfront about his refusal to support Atiku, stressing that his stance was based on equity, fairness, and justice.
“I take exception to people saying I’m double faced. We must like people who will tell you what they will do and they will do it,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor insisted he had made his position clear from the onset that he would not back the PDP presidential flag bearer and was instead aligning with a southern candidate who, in his judgment, had a realistic chance of winning the presidency.
“I made it clear that I was not going to support Atiku. I did not attend their meeting after which I did a different thing. I stood for equity, fairness, and justice — that it’s the South that should produce the presidency in 2023,” he explained.
Wike emphasized that there was no duplicity in his actions, arguing that his public refusal to support Atiku was consistent throughout the campaign season.
“I never hid. So the issue of double faced does not arise. If they said they saw me in their campaign and I went to do a different thing, that would have been double faced,” he added.
The minister went further to justify his support for President Bola Tinubu, who was then the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing him as the most viable southern option capable of leading Nigeria forward.
“From day one, I said no, I am not going to support them. Who am I going to support from the South? In my opinion, who stood to win the election? Who has the capacity to take Nigeria away from where we were? That was my own judgment and I was right,” he said.
Okay.ng reports that Wike, despite being a PDP chieftain, has continued to serve in the APC-led administration, a development that has drawn criticism from some quarters within the opposition.
However, the minister remains adamant that his political choices were principled, not opportunistic, and rooted in what he believes is best for the country.
