Atiku Responds to Wike: ‘I Won’t Descend Into the Gutters Where You Feel at Home’

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has fired back at Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following recent comments in which Wike suggested that Nigerians had rejected Atiku, urging him to exit the political scene.

In a statement released through his spokesperson, Paul Ibe, Atiku dismissed Wike’s remarks, stating that he would not engage in a war of words at Wike’s level. “I won’t descend into the gutters where you feel at home,” Atiku said, referencing Wike’s comments as part of a pattern of “theatrical outbursts.”

Wike, in a speech, had claimed, “I hear Atiku Abubakar said that Nigerians have rejected us in Rivers State. You, who have contested and failed woefully, Nigerians have rejected you; therefore, go back home.”

Responding to this, Atiku’s camp accused Wike of playing politics with the hardships Nigerians are currently facing. The statement noted that Wike’s bitterness stemmed from his loss to Atiku during the PDP’s 2022 presidential primaries.

The statement further criticized Wike for focusing on personal grievances rather than his duties as FCT Minister. “Wike’s comments are driven by personal interests. If he believes Nigerians are content with the current government, it shows how disconnected he is from the people’s real struggles,” the statement read.

Atiku’s team emphasized that they would remain focused on the genuine issues affecting Nigerians, while Wike continued to distract with “baseless rants” and “self-serving tirades.”

In closing, the statement stressed that while Wike engages in “fantasies” and “lives in the mud,” Atiku and his team would “rise above” and focus on the welfare and progress of the nation.